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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Have you written a will?

120 replies

FangsForTheMemory · 11/04/2021 17:10

I mean a properly put together, signed and witnessed will, copy lodged with your solicitor? I'm asking because when I bought my first home, my mortgage broker gave me a very stern lecture about writing one, and I did it. However the number of people who don't write a will amazes me.

YABU = no I haven't written a will
YANBU = yes I have written a will

OP posts:

Sparklingbrook · 11/04/2021 18:16

[quote EmpressSuiko]@Sparklingbrook oh that’s not so bad! Thank you for answering my question I will need to look into it as DH has cancer, I’m hoping he won’t be going anywhere for a very long time but life is unpredictable.[/quote]
Sorry to hear that, you are right life is unpredictable. Like a PP I am thinking of the power of attorney thing because of Kate Garraway. It's very sensible to have it all ready before it's needed. It was discussed when we did ours and we decided against but I now think that was a mistake.

2bazookas · 11/04/2021 18:17

You bet we have Wills. Drawn up by our lawyers when our children were babies and revised as circumstances change.

Dying intestate can create a longterm nightmare for the survivors. I've seen it happen to too many friends.

supadupapupascupa · 11/04/2021 18:30

Yes. We have a business so it's imperative

fiftiesmum · 11/04/2021 18:30

We ought to although have differing opinions on what to do as I would would like to leave everything to DCs whereas DH would be quite happy leaving everything to the taxman, charities and the local care home owner.

2bazookas · 11/04/2021 18:31

@EmpressSuiko

This is going to sound naive but does it cost money to write a will?

Yes. A solicitor will charge around £100 for a simple will.

or cheaper or free, via a charity.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/free-cheap-wills/

BackforGood · 11/04/2021 18:31

Yes, we have them, but thanks for the reminder - we really do need to re-visit them now the dc are all adults, and start thinking about things like POA.

Paddy1234 · 11/04/2021 18:34

Absolutely I have.
I did it straight after a friend lost her husband and even though they were married it was still a problem as he died intestate.
I recommend absolutely everyone to have a will even if they feel they have nothing to leave as it makes everything so much easier

Wanderlust20 · 11/04/2021 18:35

Not yet but was planning to as now pregnant. A friend died unexpectedly recently however and it's given me a nudge to just do it now!

iwishiwasatcentralperk · 11/04/2021 18:36

Yes, I did my first when I bought my first house, then again on marriage and a third one on divorce.

Having seen the mess it creates when there is no will, I advise everyone to do one.

EmpressSuiko · 11/04/2021 18:38

@2bazookas thank you for that link, we seriously need to get it sorted ASAP.

RaspberryCoulis · 11/04/2021 18:41

Well I haven't written one but the lawyer did :-) DH and I have mirror wills which are very simply. I die first, he gets everything and vice versa. When the second of us dies, everything is split before the children. When we first made our wills our kids were younger and we specified things like money in trust and guardians too.

We need to update our wills actually, we named our fathers as executors as the children were young but my dad isn't up to it any more and FIL is perhaps too far away. Might just put something in about the lawyers administering it.

We also have powers of attorney, both medical and financial.

BreakfastClub80 · 11/04/2021 18:42

No, we recently saw a solicitor who advised several Trusts and quoted a massive fee for doing the work.... we are considering the advice

Is it possible to do this more simply?

Gatehouse77 · 11/04/2021 18:43

Yes. I wrote my first will at 21 to ensures family member couldn’t receive anything by default. DH hadn’t because he had no assets or issues with family members!

DH and I wrote ’ours’ (mirror wills) when we bought our first property and updated it in 2017.

MinnieMountain · 11/04/2021 18:44

Not when we bought our first house as we owned it a joint tenants and had no other significant assets.

We made our wills when DS was 1. I’m also a solicitor with some training in that area, so that was a touch lax.

RaspberryCoulis · 11/04/2021 18:47

@BreakfastClub80

No, we recently saw a solicitor who advised several Trusts and quoted a massive fee for doing the work.... we are considering the advice

Is it possible to do this more simply?

Well they can advise what they like but it's your will and you make the decisions about what happens to your cash. They might advise against leaving it all to the dogs' home but you can if you wish.

See another lawyer.

MadeOfStarStuff · 11/04/2021 18:57

Sort of, I’ve done one through my union but not got round to getting it signed and witnessed yet.

But I have no mortgage, no partner, no children and very few assets. If I died without a will then rules of intestacy mean whatever I had would be split between my parents, which is what I want anyway.

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 11/04/2021 18:58

@BreakfastClub80

No, we recently saw a solicitor who advised several Trusts and quoted a massive fee for doing the work.... we are considering the advice

Is it possible to do this more simply?

It depends on your situation. If it’s genuinely complex then yes a bunch of trusts might be the way to go, and if you don’t have any competent and trustworthy family member to act as trustees then you might need to appoint the solicitors to act at considerable expense. However it’s also very possible that it can be achieved more simply and cheaply. You need a second opinion, but if you give the facts then you might get some decent advice here.

ArosGartref · 11/04/2021 19:06

Mine was a simple mirror will which was provided free by Union solicitors, so if you're in a trade union it's worth checking.

BreakfastClub80 · 11/04/2021 19:07

Thank you @RaspberryCoulis and @LadyIsabellaWrotham
I think you’re right, we’ll get another opinion

Mummadeze · 11/04/2021 19:09

No. Genuine question. Do I need one if I have no savings and don’t own a property? I have a DD and a partner who I live with. I haven’t done one because I have no assets but is there any other reason to do so?

Gladioli23 · 11/04/2021 19:11

I have a will, but I wrote it myself based on a template! Possibly a bit risky but I'm single with no dependents so it wouldn't have been a catastrophe to die intestate and I didn't want anything complicated. Signed, witnessed and in the filing cabinet at my parents on the grounds that if I did in a fire at my house the will won't have burnt to pieces, and if their house burns down I won't have burnt to pieces!

Hesma · 11/04/2021 19:12

Yes, I’m a single mum to 2 DDs, need to protect their interests

fussychica · 11/04/2021 19:13

For those worried about the cost keep your eyes open for charities working with solicitors to offer "free" wills from time to time. There is usually an expectation of a donation at the time or when your will is activated but the amount is entirely at your discretion.

Aprilx · 11/04/2021 19:13

We were one last year using an online service but didn’t get it signed or witnessed. We will get round to it one day soon.

JeanneDoe · 11/04/2021 19:16

Yes. But I was 8 years into marriage.

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