How many people have made a will?

[Ohmygodthepain]

Loosely linked to a post where the OP has been told that she is not going to be included in her will, got me thinking about how many people like that go to the effort of making a will, never mind cutting someone out of one.

How many folk do have a will? I made mine when I turned 40, got divorced and travelled for work abroad without the kids - I'm a terrible flier and was so worried about leaving my kids and family intestate.

Fast forward a decade and I've just been dealing with my mum's estate. VERY simple estate - one house, one bank account, bare minimum bills (no mobile, no broadband, gas/electric/water/house insurance/tell us once for council tax and state pension, one private pension etc), only me and my sibling to inherit. She was diagnosed with a life limiting condition a couple of years ago but ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to make a will, or get POA. Fortunately (or rather unfortunately, as things went unbelievably quickly downhill over the course of a weekend) we weren't in a position to need POA nor was it hard to deal with her things once she died, but I imagine it must be so hard for families dealing with very complicated estates, probate, families etc.

So, do you have a will? If you've dealt with a deceased estate would it have been easier with/without a will? Have you had family fall-outs because of a will or lack of one?

I need to get mine updated, my mum was one of my executors.

Got a will as soon as I hit 18. Married at 17 and we added me to the mortgage and got mirror wills. Got life insurance.

Have recently sorted our POA for us both too. That is reduced or free if you are on certain benefits.
You can get wills done free at certain times or via charities (hoping you donate the fee to them, or will think of them in the will.)

Why would you not get a will? Makes everything easier admin wise and leaves your intentions clear.

We’ve had mirror wills and had them done just after we got married. Need to now change the executors as the boys are now adults.

We must get that done. Another thing to add to the growing list of jobs.

Had wills since our 20s.

Didn't write one till I got married in my late 30s, up to then, no dependants and the estate (what there was of it!) would have gone to my siblings as my parents are both dead. I did think about it as it would have been a pain for them and I live in a different country but I never got around to it.

Got married to someone with kids and moved into his house so everything got much more complicated and we have wills each - not mirror wills. We need to rijig it now his kids are grown up and we own a house together - at the moment I'd probably have to sell up if he died and I'm not sure I want that to happen.

ETA - we got enduring POAs drawn up at the same time - after having a tough time of it with my mum getting POA and really leaving it too late.

We made wills when were expecting first child in our early thirties. Have updated it recently as did a civil partnership (marriage and civil partnership invalidate all previous wills). About to do our own LPOAs now, just waiting for DS to turn 18, we are late forties/early fifties.

I personaly think people who refuse to do wills or LPOAs if they have property/children are incredibly selfish. I have been executor for 2 estates, one with and one without a will and the one with when knowing whatbthe person wanted was much easier, in an incredibly difficult time.

Single. No kids. Mortgaged house.

I got mortgage assurance as soon as I took out a mortgage aged 24. I thought if I died, the last thing mum and dad would want to deal with is the bank and they could sell it when they were ready.

I got my wills and both financial and medical LPAs done after my dad died. It should be straightforward in that stuff just goes to my sisters or my mum, but someone said "never assume!" in work and sounded dead serious... so I sorted it all out.

I got a will at the point I'd had my children so that I could make provision for them should I die before my DH. DH is a good dad but he's not a planner or forward thinker so if he remarried he wouldn't think to do a will and the next Mrs DH could potentially end up with my child's inheritance.

We got wills when I was about 40, which is really way too late, bearing in mind that we had children. Set up POAs for both finance and health when we were about 50.

Dh and I made wills during early COVID. I work in the nhs in a hospital and we were offered free wills so we took up the offer. I was 38.

I haven't got a will, I'm mid 40s. Nor does DH. I'm not sure who would have our DC if we both died so I don't know what to put.

We made our wills in our twenties when we got engaged and bought a house.

Updated them once we had children to include directions for care of the D.C. in case we both died.

We’re about to update them again as our children will both have reached 18 soon.

We’d previously nominated our parents to be trustees for our estate until the kids reached a certain age, we’ll be updating that too as I. think it would now be too much for them to deal.

Anyone who has assets should write a will.

It’s neglectful not to write a will if you have children.

You can give a few options in case one isn't around anymore or not able to do it? You need to discuss it with friends and family now, rather than have them panicking and wondering if the choice they made is one you would have wanted.

Leave no room for doubt. It will be uncomfortable, but you need to have this conversation.

I've put down three people to have my pets, so hopefully one of the three will be able to take them if needed.

I need to get a Health and Welfare LPOA done, as I’ve got a nasty habit of getting really ill and almost dying at the moment, so it would make mine and my OHs lives easier.

Don’t think I need one for finances, as everything is joint anyway, so nice and easy on that side of things.

Does your inheritance not automatically go to your children (or surviving spouse though?)

I understand needing to make provision in case both parents die.

DH and I got basic wills when we bought our house together (just before we married) leaving everything to each other. We’ve never updated them mostly because we don’t want to deal with this question. We do need to though, and to do POA for each other especially as I’ve had cancer this year.

To be fair, laws on inheritance if I died intestate would pretty much cover my intentions anyway and my estate wouldn’t hit IHT threshold.

The rules for intestacy are quite straightforward depending on the value of your estate, agreed. But should the worst happen, don't you think that the best thing you could leave your family are clear instructions about your wishes?

Made a will when I found out I was pregnant the first time at 21. Made husband make one as well. We had fuck all at the time though.

Last week I found out my dad didn’t have one, he is 70 years old and he said “I’m not old enough for a will you grabby wee scamp”. He’s a nightmare.

I guess, yes. But my wishes are very straightforward: all assets to my children. Obviously husband if they're younger and I die first. He wants everything to go to children. Our children get on very well.

You should also consider what if you and your spouse died at the same time.

Me and OH made our first wills when we bought a house together and got married. Then we revised them when we had our son a few years' later. Then revised again when our son became 18. We also did finance & health POAs when he became 18. We'll be revising the wills again shortly now that he's 23 left Uni and been in work a couple of years (previous one at 18 we appointed professional executors as he wouldn't have coped whilst at Uni but now he's been working FT for a couple of years and has his own friend/support network, we're changing it to him being the executor and 100% beneficiary). If we all die together, then the entire estate is split between various local charities now, whereas before he was 18, there was a trust for him and some bequests to our siblings who'd also have been the trustees. Wills need changing at various "trigger" points in your life and also various age trigger points of your children.

And if your child/(ren) die at the same time as you both i.e. in a car or plane accident.

Made my will in my early 40s
It needs updating
However the basics remain the same

With no will everything will go to your husband, not your kids.

So what if you died, your husband inherited everything. He goes on to remarry and dies with all his assets going to the new wife - you kids get NOTHING.
Or he divorces his new wife and she clears him out - your kids again get NOTHING

I’ve thought about making one previously, but I haven’t got round to drawing one up. I’m 29 - my DP and I are cohabiting, we have a mortgage, but no children.

I really should make one. Thanks for the prompt, OP!

We only did our wills last year after living together over 30 years. I am so glad we did, as my DP died this year and without a will it would have been even more of a nightmare than it was.

I'd say to anyone, please don't put it off, you never know what's round the corner.