I have said it before. Making Wills is not rocket science. That said, getting it wrong will send blood pressures soaring and legal fees in to Hyperspace.
Apparently the number of disputes over Wills in the High Court increased by 50% between 2018 and 2019.
Why is that? DIY wills must be a factor. They don’t always reflect what was intended. They may be legally incomplete. Often, people are ‘helped along’ by someone with their own interests at heart, rather than those of the person making the Will, and certainly not those of the other beneficiaries.
There is a lot to consider when you make a Will. You have to think of the effects that the Will has on other people that you should be providing for. You need to consider children from pervious relationships and how they might end up with nothing despite sincere promises from your new spouse.
You have to think about leaving assets to your spouse if it likely that they will later go in to care.
You have to think of what it will mean to those inheriting money from you. It is a shame if money ends up in the hands of someone who does not know how to deal with it, or is on benefits that they lose for long enough to spend the money and then go back on benefits again.
And for the really lucky ones, you have to worry about Inheritance Tax.
Get advice. It will save money in the end!