• Date14th July 2016
• AuthorHall Baird
• Categories
  • PoA & Wills

The 5 ‘W’s of Will

It’s estimated that 70% of people in Scotland die without leaving a Will. Do 70% of the population really have NOTHING to leave? Here we describe the five important ‘W’s to help you – Who, Why, What, When & Where.

1. ‘Who’ should make a Will?

Everyone!

If you have a bank account, a house or any personal belongings of sentimental or financial value and you have family, friends, loved ones or a charity that you want to inherit what you have then you should have one.

2. ‘Why’ should you make a Will?

You currently make the decisions about what happens to your money, belongings and assets but if you die without a Will then the LAW will dictate what happens, not you and not your loved ones.

A Will sets out what you want.  It is much easier for your family, friends and loved ones to follow your wishes if they know what your wishes were, that is particularly beneficial at a highly emotional time for them.

Having one makes things much faster and cheaper than having to go through the process called ‘Intestacy’. (Intestacy is the process that has to be followed when someone dies without a Will).

3. ‘What’ should be in my Will?

What you want!   The first thing to consider and include is who you wish to be your Executor.  An Executor is a person or persons that you choose and trust to carryout the instructions you leave.

Your Will can be as detailed as you want it to be.  You can leave specific legacies to people –  stating who you wish to receive a sum of money or personal items.  You can go in to detail about your wishes for anything that you own.  Finally, you need to decide who would get the residue (remainder) of your estate.

4. ‘When’ should I make a Will?

NOW!

You are never too young. It can be unsettling to think about the fact we are all mortal, but we are and it is important to prepare for what you want when you’re no longer here.

5. ‘Where’ should I make a Will?

To ensure that what you want to happen DOES happen we recommend going to a Solicitor to prepare your Will for you. We can also talk you through some of those hard questions that often put people off making one and we aim to make the process easy and comfortable for you.