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.

Not having a will, unless you’re pretty much destitute, is irresponsible. But wills can be complex and need to take account of all potential eventualities.

Decades ago, when we did our first wills, ‘mirror wills’ were still commonly recommended, but this is potentially risky. If one dies and the spouse inherits and then remarries…… there is a very real risk of children ending up with nothing.

I have friends who balked at paying £200 for a solicitor to draw up a will. One downloaded a will from some website, the other is still dithering… Both own a house which is worth nearly a million… I hope it works out for their children, it personally I prefer to rely on an iron clad will.

Because if I die DH will inherit. And even if he remarried he would make provisions for the children first. I trust him as he trusts me.

We finally did Wills and LPOA last year after my dbro died suddenly.

We had talked about it for years but losing my dbro in a fatal accident galvanised us in to getting it sorted.

I do agree that everyone should have a Will. Ours are very straightforward mirror Wills but they still needed doing.

Yes, mirror wills & POA.
Assets divided fairly between between kids from separate & current marriages.
“Precious Things” also split - some with humour as well as value.
If anyone hasn’t, please do it asap - you never know what is around the corner.

I don’t have a will because I’m married to Dh and everything would go to him. If both of us died, in theory, it would all go to our children. The thing we do need to decide is guardianship for the children as we have very specific wishes to not have certain people be guardians (though they are in no position to from a health perspective anyway).

My dad died intestate. I honestly don’t think it was any more drama than if he had had a will. He was not married and I have a brother, so between us, we had to sort it out. I think if my brother had been named executor, there would have been some dodgy stuff going on. If I had been, he would have caused me trouble, so just as well that no one was really.

I am technically executor for my mum’s will, though we are NC. I’m not really sure it will make it any easier. We live in different countries and I have no ties anymore to that country (actually can’t even travel there because I have dual nationality but only a British passport). And there is a lot of drama with stepsiblings who have been disinherited (they are also NC, but hated more than me 😂 so no money for them). I’d frankly probably she just not have a will and then it would just be what it would be, but I’ll deal with it when I have to cross that bridge.

😱Seriously…. So much could happen between you passing away and him dying..

Please read all of the thread. You're honestly burying your head in the sand here.

@mindutopia - you need to think about what might happen if you were to die first.

What if he was to remarry and forgot/kept putting it off etc to make a new will to safeguard your children’s interests?

And for those thinking that mirror wills are the way to go….. see above!

I know I should, widowed, no children etc. but confused as I live in Europe and my family is in UK. I can make a will here invoking UK law, but I am unclear on the consequences. I need to take professional advice.

If I was wealthy I might have done it but this is not the case so really not necessary.

I’ve had once since I was first married and owned a house at 21.

I don’t but need one

I haven't. I'm 47, married with one DC (12). This was a good reminder to get things sorted, as am aware of issues of being intestate! Have now started the ball rolling. Thank you, OP!

Yes, had one since my thirties. I think if you have property or children it's a good idea. I'm about to redo mine as it's thirty years on and things have changed dramatically.

Did my first will at 23 when I bought my first house with ExH, then rewrote it at 42 when I got divorced. I did both POA at 50 when my Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it sort of focuses the mind slightly!!
I have also talked to my adult children about my wishes for my funeral and for if I do get some form of dementia myself.

To be honest we haven't. Have meant to for a while but have had alot on for the last 4-5 years. We really do need to get on with it because we have a disabled DD and want specific arrangements in regards to her care and the money from our estate if we was both to pass (we have certain people we don't want her cared for by, we both had abusive parents and want her to go to one of my siblings and we don't want them to manage her money either as they would take advantage of her)

I have had Wills since my first child was born when I was 22. I’ve updated them regularly, and had them completely redone when I lived overseas, and in Scotland, and when I returned to England a few years ago, because inheritance laws vary.

I have also had to deal with the unexpected consequences of intestate and badly written DIY Wills, and bloody annoying it all was, particularly when all the stress was so unnecessary.

DH and I have had wills since we bought our first house together, I think I was 24 at the time. Our exectutors are aware of where they are kept also in the house. I also have life insurance against the mortgage. DH can't get any because of his medical conditions but he does have a large death in service which would clear the mortgage and some.

I think within our social circles it's common. Both of our parents have one and I imagine most of our friends do also.

Have done ours recently as I was concerned that if our flight (with DH, DS and I aboard) fell into the sea, all our estate would end up going to DH's relatives abroad. He hasn't seen them in decades and I've never met them, so it wasn't something we would want to happen. Nothing against them really except that we have relatives we are much closer to that we'd prefer got the benefit. Obviously if all our plane journeys are uneventful in that way, DS or his issue will get it which is fine by us.

I did have a will prior to DH but I did need a new valid one. Now need to sort out power of attorney at some point...

Given the misunderstandings in this thread about how intestacy works (no, everything doesn’t automatically go to your spouse, they get the first £322,000 and then half the remainder. Think how that might work if your main asset is a £400,000 house say)…. it’s well worth paying for decent advice and getting a Will drawn up.

I haven’t got a will because I haven’t got round to it. I don’t know what to put down to have my dc if my ex husband and I both died. I don’t know who I’d name as executors. I don’t know who would deal with the money side of things whilst my children were young. I guess all this is what I need to look into but it’s hard when you don’t have loads of people around you jumping at the chance to do these things for you. It’s all very well saying “it’s selfish”

@cadburyegg - there is a lot of advice about making a will online, for example:

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/information-guides/ageukig31_wills_and_estate_planning_inf.pdf

Read up on it - be sure it relates to your jurisdiction - and see a solicitor, preferably someone who has been recommended.

Yes we have wills. They were free after attending a baby show, they are just fairly simple mirror wills. Everything to each other, then children or grandchildren and if not then to our nieces and nephews. It also says who will have the kids if we die together and names the executors (my brother, his niece). Before that I had a very basic WHSmiths will which I drew up when getting divorced from my first husband as I didn’t want him to get all my cash and my house or have any say over my health if I died or was seriously injured before we were divorced.

Do you have children? What happens if, god forbid, you’re both wiped out in a car crash…. Is there literally nothing saved or any asset whatsoever for the guardian? This would keep me up at night tbh

Finally make a Will just before I had brain surgery, for obvious reasons. I also have a 'just in case' document that my now adult kids know where to find, passwords, insurance etc