Share your thoughts on Wills with Which? Win £300 voucher or free Will! NOW CLOSED

[RebeccaEMumsnet]

Writing a Will is something that many of us put off, as it’s never a nice subject to talk about and the process can seem confusing, but Which? Wills is hoping to change all that with their online Will writing and Power of Attorney service.

They would love to hear your experience of how you got your Will sorted, or, if you haven’t got around to it yet, what’s putting you off? It would be great to hear your stories of how you decided how you would write your Will, and your tips to those who have yet to do it.

Here’s what Alex Neil, at Which? has to say: "It's important to make a will to ensure that your assets, including your home, savings and belongings, are distributed according to your wishes. It can be very difficult for loved ones to do this if you pass away without having made a will.”

Did the birth of your DCs prompt you to write your Will? Do you think that it’s important to have a Will as a parent, and if so, why?

Whatever your experience (or lack of experience!) of Will writing, we’d love to hear your story so that other Mumsnetters can take advice.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw, and one MNer will win either a £300 Love2Shop voucher or a free Which? Will Writing Service (T&Cs below).

Thanks,

MNHQ
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My hubby and I really need to get our Wills sorted but it is such an expense and finding the time is so hard. Our family know who our children's guardian is but I know we would feel so much better when we finally get round to sorting everything. I find it all a bit daunting and a little scary if I'm honest. I have looked at companies that do it online, but I'm rather unsure whether that is the better option!!

We need to sort out wills. Time and money stopping us. They're so important that money shouldn't be an issue but other things always seem to crop up. Something we need to sort out as we now have two DS. So should ensure they are sorted.

My husband and I have been together since 2001 and now have three children. We keep saying we need to get wills sorted because we need to have it fixed it place who would take care of our boys (we don't have any property that needs sorting.) But somehow the months years have passed and we've made excuses, but I know we need to get it done asap.
My husba

We wrote our first will after we bought our house. We had one daughter at the time, and the house was bought with some inheritance money plus a loan so it all needed sorting out. We did it under the WillAid scheme but we weren't happy with it and never actually got round to signing it. It just seemed to say the bare minimum - we spoke to family members who'd made provision for all sorts of things but when we asked the solicitor about the same sort of things he'd just say that didn't need to go into the will (distribution of jewellery for example).
We recently started the process again, but haven't signed this one either. Partly money isn't available, but also an elderly relative has died since the draft was written and this may affect some of the terms of the will so we are reluctant to pay until we know what's going on and can put it straight in, rather than finishing the will and then having to re-do it a month or so later.

I think its important to have a will for your children when its the right time also if your financial situation is healthy I wouldn't sort a will for the distant future until I have more finance also my bank balance is healthy at the moment its not possible but its something I would consider if I was comfortable

my husband and I had a will each done over 10 years ago, you never know what's around the corner. we updated it after we adopted our son. the hardest part for us was deciding who to give guardianship of our son to but its so important. our will is pretty simple but we didn't want to take the risk of not knowing what would happen to our property or more importantly leaving our son in danger of being left with nothing or no one especially as he is adopted

We made our wills when I found out I was pregnant with dc2. They are very simple leave everything to surviving partner and then dc and then names guardians for the dc. It was important to do as we are not married. We used a will writer and it cost about £150 plus storing it at the probate service.

I wrote a will when I divorced my first husband 10 years to protect my investments for our daughter. Now I have remarried and we have 4 children between us and a new house we need to write another. This is something I have been putting off as I know it will be a difficult situation. All the money we put in the new house is from the equity of my old house. So a will is something I am not looking forward to writing, but is essential.....

I still need to make my will to ensure that my children round be kept together if something where to happen to me. I've spoken to family about it but no one seems to know where to get it all sorted! The only people I know who have theirs sorted are those with solicitors in the family!

We are in a position now where we really need to write wills, we've got nothing to leave but we need to be safe in the knowledge that our children would be looked after if anything happened to us. Too many family issues would mean that their needs were not put first x

We wrote wills when I was pregnant, we hadn't been together long, I'd moved into my partner's house bringing a chunk of money with me, and we planned to marry after I gave birth.

I remember thinking that though emotionally it was all so straightforward because we were in love, but legally it really wasn't. I have seen families torn apart by money disputes - often over very little - and i wanted to be sure that a more assertive family (probably mine) did not override my partners if the worst happened and we died leaving our child to be taken in by others. Worth every penny.

I should really get one. I have 6 children, 3 from a previous marriage, so could get messy if anything happened to me before I make a will.

If you cant afford to get a proper will done, put your wishes on a piece of paper and get it signed and witnessed.

My husband and I didn't have a will and were expecting our third child. We hadn't really given writing a will any thought - I was 30 and my husband 33 and it just hadn't really come up. However, when I was 19 weeks pregnant with our third child, my mum died suddenly. This made us look at things differently and one of our prime concerns would be what would happen to our children if we were both to die. Cancer Research were doing a free will service at the same so we took advantage of it and got our will written up. To be fair, we probably should review it now as that was over 15 years ago and certain things have changed, although nothing too significant. My top tips would be : -

1. It is always a good idea to add in what plans you would like made for your children.
2. If you are not sure your family is complete, it is possible to write the will to include any future children.

We got our Wills sorted before we had the DC and we later added our wishes re guardianship should the worst happen. My father died without leaving a Will and, obviously, it took me longer to get all the paperwork through correctly. Even more stressful was when we knew my father was dying my father-in-law kept trying to persuade me to take in a Will for my father to sign. I refused.

We need to make a will. Never saw it as important until we had our baby, now its the dawn of realisation - its so important. Guardianship. Finances. Making sure the family is ok. Funeral. Our wishes - its interesting our wishes are different like wanting different funeral arrangements. We agree on guardianship and thats awkward in itself - its not going to be what grandparents think it will be. The will is so important to make our wishes known and dealt with legally. All our money at present is going on the routine e.g. food/nappies/room over our heads..... we need to get it down. Last year we both got life insurance......finally we are growing up!!

I finally made a will when my marriage broke down. I think my kids were the only reason id have bothered to make one so young.

I first enquires about making a will when DD was s baby ExH said it was a ridiculous waste of money.
I finally persuaded him when DD was 4 as whilst we had borrowed money to achieve a considerable asset base all the loans would be paid off by life insurance if anything happened to us. We had simple mirror wills.
After ExH left one of the first things I did was change my will as I wanted to be certain DD got everything if anything happened to me.
It really is not as expensive as you would think there are well priced will writing services around who work for s fixed price.

I saw wills with which advertised on TV, I called up to get one and even though the free will information was what I asked for, the guy was so interested in trying to sell me information on tablets (that I didn't want or need) he ended up sending out a useless free how to use my tablet guide. I still need help writing a will!

I sorted out life insurance when we had kids (far more important) and wills is something i'll do once i actually have an asset eg house paid off. I'll be leaving my half direct to my kids though rather than dh. Only this morning he ate all the bloody croissants so i certainly dont trust him to think of the kids if i was not around :)

I don't have a will. We have no money, just the house, so I didn't really think it mattered - but I've seen on here that dying without a will makes it more complicated for those left behind. Have no idea what to put re someone to take the children, which also puts me off writing the damn thing.

DH sorted out our wills two years ago after meaning to do so for a very long time. It was important to us mainly because we wanted to make cksar our wish for my sister to care for our children if the event of us both meeting an unfortunate end.

We wrote our will with the help of our financial advisor. Copies are kept in a safe in their offices and the executors have the details. Feels very safe and secure knowing it is sorted.

We wrote our will after the birth of DC2. We had been meaning to do it for a while and it took us too long to get round to it. I feel much more relieved after having it done. It makes you think about what you want to happen after your die to your money and more importantly your children. DH and I found it quite easy to agree on what we wanted. I don't think the cost was too bad and it is worth it for the peace of mind of knowing our wishes will be followed and make it a lot easier for everyone.

My MIL's mum didn't leave a will and she died last year and it has taken a lot of time and money with solicitors to sort it out without a will so I think doing it in advance can actually save you money in the long run.

The solicitor was really helpful and made it easy for us. If you have a straightforward circumstances it can be easy and relatively cheap to do mirror wills. I understand in more complex situations it may be more expensive, but also more important to do it!

We used a DIY kit once ds1 was born mainly to ensure his future would be ok if something happened to both DH and I. Our situation is relatively straightforward but I still worry what we have done is not legally valid.

We had wills done when our first DC was born, but now he youngest is an adult we should revisit it I know. We have had frequent contact with one solicitor or another for 3 years now regarding the wills of 3 recenty deceased parents so we have a good idea of what we'll do. Like so many on here it's the getting round to it that seems the hardest bit.

I got married when my son was a year old. When I advised my husband that he should change his will which was currently in favour of his parents and brother, his naive response was that he was sure that they would give me the money. I put my foot down and said that there were no guarantees and he should make the effort to secure out futures by making me, and then our son beneficiaries in the event of his death. My advice to anyone is that is worth thinking about the worst case scenario now, and working out what you would like to see happen in that event, and then ensure the outcome by making a will.