Will writing

[DaisyNonna]

How many other charities are going to offer to write my will this week in return for laving them some money? Three so far.

[dotty.]

help the aged age concern and that other one will all offer will writing service via their website or iff you contact them via their local offices, it's brilliant, not a con at all and there is only a small donation required, cheap way of doing it and you know you're not being ripped off by a solicitor.

[boxtops]

Presumably they do it in the hopes that you will include a small donation to them in your Will, too....

[Barmaid]

I assume it must be "Make a Will week". It's a good idea because it encourages people to make a Will. The last figures I saw only 1 in 7 adults had a Will.

The charities who provide this scheme have relationships with solicitors. The solicitors charge the charity a fixed fee for simple wills (complicated Wills normally have to be "authorised"), but generally there is NO obligation to leave the charity a legacy. The charities work on the basis that although a lot do not leave a legacy, those that do generally leave a reasonable sum. In a cost benefit analysis, "Free Will schemes" make the charity more than it costs for them to provide the service.

[woofgang]

However folk do it, can I urge you all to make a will? Oh and I made ours when he faced his first major op on the basis of "if we do it we wont need it." When he did pass he would have been too ill and me too terrified to make any sensible decisions.

[woofgang]

PS this is a serious post. I have no link to charities, solicitors, will writers, download sites or any other such body.

[Barmaid]

Good advice Woofgang. I'm dealing with a very sad case where the deceased just never "got round to it". It's going to cost a small fortune to trace all his maternal aunts and uncles and their issue who will take on intestacy. It is also going to cost a small fortune to sort out the claim that his "live in" partner is making with all the once/twice removed cousins as defendants. If there is anything left for anybody at the end of all this I will be amazed.

[sunny-dave]

Agree with woofgang and BM.

It took me very little effort and cost hardly any money to sort out my Mum's estate - clear will, info about all savings and insurances on a bit of paper tucked in the will copy. Applying for probate was a doddle - did everything myself - no fees to any lawyers at all.

One of my relatives had a parent die intestate - cost a lot of money, took ages and caused a lot of ill feeling amongst people who 'had been promised' ...

Just do it :+)