Making a will is one of the most important things that you can do as you could save your family money in the future and it can secure their future. Each year, 1 in 3 people die without having a written will in place to protect their assets for their families.
We, at H McPartland & Sons, can help you write a will that will ensure your estate, no matter how large or small, is divided as per your wishes. Making a will is a decision which will have major implications for you family when you are gone. Without a Will, matters could get complicated for grieving families as no set directive is in place to indicate who gets what.
Here are 5 why you categorically need a will, and how H McPartland & Sons can help if you haven’t got one at present and why it’s important that your will is written by a solicitor.
- Protect your family
The definition of what a family is differs but unfortunately not all these relationships are considered the same in the eye of the law. If you are in a partnership but not married, you might choose to provide for your partner, and vice versa.
A will allows you to stipulate who you want to benefit but it’s important to remember to update it as your family circumstances change (such as the birth of your children, grandchildren or in the event of a divorce).
- Protect your assets
Money, property and belongings are the main assets you’ll want to leave to your loved ones, but if you die without a will, there are certain rules which dictate how the money, property or possessions should be allocated. This may not be the way that you would have wished your money and possessions to be distributed. By writing a will you remove the possibility of this by stating very clearly how you want your assets to be divided and to who.
- Identify your executor
You should appoint an executor at the same time as you write your will. This is a person who you nominate to carry out the instructions specified by you in your will. They will oversee organising your estate and assets and making sure everything is divided up as you have requested.
- You decide what happens to you
When you die it is important that your loved ones know what your wishes are for your body and your funeral. By writing up a will you can include these wishes. It is worth noting that burial and cremation wishes in a will are merely wishes and they are not legally bind by the executors. You should include whether you want to be buried or cremated. Where you want to be buried? Do you want your body or organs to be donated? The only way those left behind will know what you want is if you’ve written it down somewhere.
- Make a difficult time less difficult
When you lose someone – the last thing you want to do is spend those hard times arguing with family members. By making a will you will make a difficult time less difficult for your family members so that they do not need to deal with bureaucracy during a time of sadness.
Employing a solicitor can save a lot of stress for those you leave behind, as well as giving you a bit more peace of mind. Making a will provides you with much more than just peace of mind – here are a few reasons why your will should be written by a solicitor:
- You’re protected if something goes wrong. Solicitors are regulated and will draw up your will so that it can be executed without dispute, exactly as you want it to be. All our solicitors have professional qualifications and are stringently supervised by the Law Society. Our legal team can explain all implications and will confidently answer any questions.
- You can be more confident there are no mistakes. During stressful times, disputes can be caused by unexpected things like using the wrong witness or forgetting to have it signed. Using a solicitor removes the likelihood of disagreements and minimises the chances of disputes. Ambiguity or errors in a will can cause problems after your death. This often results in considerable legal costs, all of which will come out of your estate and reduce the amount you can leave to your loved ones.
- The complicated bits are done for you. Writing any legally binding document is no simple task. The law surrounding inheritances (including Inheritance Tax and trusts) is complicated. Our solicitors will be familiar with the law and will be able to help you make the most effective choices. How complex it is depends upon your individual circumstances. For example, you might have been married more than once and have children from more than one union who you wish to provide for, you might own properties overseas or you might have questions about inheritance tax if you have a large estate with a high value attached to it.
Making a will is a decision which will have major implications for you family when you are gone. Contact H McPartland & Sons today in Lurgan or Lisburn to have a chat with a member of our team and find out how we can help you write a will that that ensures your estate, no matter how large or small, is divided as per your wishes.