How to do a will?

[Luna9]

I would like some advice about doing a will. What is the best way? I understand we can do it through life time legal but I feel like I need some advice.

The part that I find difficult is to think all the scenarios; also because my husband has grown up children from previous relationships and I want to leave my children protected; circumstances can also change.

Should we have a mirrror will? is it better to separate things and each person does their own will.

What happen if you die without a will.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated

Have you talked it through with DH?

We did ours, mirror Wills, through a local solicitor. It didn’t cost a lot and they went through the wording to make sure it does what we want.

Mirror will as folls

Split everything in half

He leaves his 50% to all of his kids

You leave your 50% to your kids only

His previous kids have a mother already

I used a solicitor.
It cost us under £200 for the two of us.
Bargain.

You will certainly need a solicitor given that your husband has children from a previous relationship. Mirror will are therefore unlikely to be the way you go. You will also need to consider whether the split should be 50/50 - you don't say if your children are his too.

There's a mumsnetter - think it's @mumblechum1 who offers advice and will writing service. We had a chat over the phone and she did mirror wills for DH and me.

You need legal advice. As it stands, assuming you’re in England, if one of you dies then the survivor gets the first 250,000 plus half of what, if anything, is left, and the rest is split evenly between the dead person’s children (but not stepchildren). If you have a valuable house then that situation might be very messy for the surviving spouse, or on the other side if you have assets of less than 500,000 between you then it could leave your stepchildren with nothing.

You need a solicitor, or a professional will drafted. Marlin Wills is highly spoken of on MN.

Whoops, that should be Marlow Wills: bloody iPhone.

@MrsFogi

I married some one with kids from a previous relationship, we went on to have three ourselves, mirror wills have been drawn up so you're wrong in this instance.

Yvonne at Marlow Wills is your lady!

Did Powers of Attorney for various members of our family, and was excellent.

Hi I am a will writer.

With your set up you will struggle to set up a mirror will (they are exact or near to exact copies of each other). Assuming you own property (even if it is mortgaged) you would be looking at some sort of interest in possession trust so that no matter what happened in the future the children inherited 50% of the property. You husband would still be able to live in it for the rest of his lifetime.