Making a will
Reduce stress for those you love.
Questions? Contact me:
Make a Will to set out where your property will go, and reduce stress for your loved ones.
Making a will puts you in control and spares your family uncertainty. It lets you decide who should inherit, who cares for children, and the practical wishes you want followed.
When made professionally, a Will can also support tax planning and protect partners or vulnerable beneficiaries. Below, I outline the key choices and how I’ll help you put a clear, robust Will in place.
An easy step to take.
Making a Will is such a simple and straightforward process that you’d think everyone over the age of 18 would do it. Sadly, many people leave making a Will until later in life and often this means too late.
Without a Will, your estate will pass according to the rules of ‘intestacy’. These are rarely sufficient!
Making a Will has a great deal of benefits:
- Property: You can set out who should inherit your money and other assets.
- Inheritance tax: You can ensure your estate pays the minimum possible inheritance tax, for example by leaving your assets to certain beneficiaries. Find out more about Inheritance Tax planning here.
- Trusts: You can place some of your assets into protective wrappers called trusts so that no matter what happens, your choice of loved ones inherit at an appropriate time – and their inheritance is not lost to problems in their own lives such as creditors or divorce.
- Care fees: Your Will can be drafted in such a way that a large portion of your estate is legitimately protected from care fees. Find out more about avoiding care fees here.
- Guardians: You can choose guardians for your minor children, rather than leaving the choice of who will care for them to chance.
- Funeral wishes: You can set out your funeral wishes. Knowing what arrangements you would like can reduce the stress for loved ones.
- Pets: You can decide who should care for your pets and leave a gift of money for their upkeep, if you want to.
- Sentimental items: You can gift sentimental items to those who would appreciate them. These can be a great comfort to your loved ones at a difficult time.
- Cohabitees: You can make provision for cohabitees, who otherwise would not benefit under the rules of intestacy even if they have children with you (i.e. the rules which say how your estate is split up, if you did not make a Will).
- Charitable gifts: You can leave a gift to charity. If you want to make a substantial gift, you can include a formula that ensures your estate benefits from a lower rate of inheritance tax.
Dealing with the loss of a loved one can be extremely stressful. A Will provides reassurance for those left behind and a clear message that you cared about them enough to put your affairs in order.
Please be assured that my own family structure is very complex, and I’m very aware of the sensitive issues clients face when arranging Wills, LPAs, and family matters involving multiple households and estranged children.
How to make a Will:
There are many options for making a Will today, from simple Post Office kits to cheap online services. Please consider that making a Will with an SRA-regulated solicitor means you’ll get a legally valid Will that you can trust. Book an appointment with me and we can discuss the type of Will that would best suit your circumstances.
Get in touch:
Jennifer Wiss-Carline
Solicitor and Chartered Legal Executive
I’d be pleased to help you make a clear, robust Will. I work with clients across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. I’ll explain your options in plain English, take instructions on your family, assets and priorities, advise on executors, guardians and any trusts, and include specific gifts and funeral wishes. I’ll draft your Will, make any amendments, advise on correct signing and witnessing, and explain your options for secure storage and copies – so you know exactly what to expect.
CONTACT ME