How do I go about making a will?

[bourneville]

Where do I find out about solicitors?
Does it cost money and how much?
Is there any way of doing it free?
What sort of things do i need to think about?

The issues i've already thought about are:

1. who would get custody of dd
2. What would happen to my very extensive & personal diaries - i assume i can include something like that in the will with specific instructions what to do with them and who to do it?

TIA

have you looked at this

and there is usually one week each year when you can write one for free I think
\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/bigissues/makingawill.html\ writing a will }

We've just done it, so:

-probably best to ask around your area as lots of people will have had dealings with solicitors when they moved house. It's probably such a bread-and-butter job that pretty much any would be competent though.

-ours was £80 which we think was a bargain - normally around £120 apparently

-yes, we thought about this and couldn't find all the info we needed on the internet for free but you can buy a book for about a tenner which tells you everything you need to know. No need to involve a solicitor at all (though we decided to in the end).

-You have to think about what you want done with your body, also think about money and how you want to arrange things so that the people looking after dd will be able to spend money on her behalf easily, also who your executors should be, also you have to decide who gets the dosh if you all get eaten by a tyrannosaurus rex (or other unlikely scenario). I don't think there would be a problem with leaving instructions re. your diaries.
I am assuming you don't have a massive amount of money but if you do then it gets more complicated as you will want to do all sorts of cunning things to avoid inheritance tax.

Good luck!

pmsl re money, all i have is a big overdraft!

(Actually, what happens to that? who would have to pay it back? do i need some sort of life insurance?)

Don't know what happens to the overdraft!

Just looked up debts in the book I mentioned and it says 'In a financial sense, you are probably worth more when you are dead than when you are alive' - eg if you're killed in an accident your estate might be entitled to damages. Interesting!