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
Standard Insight T&Cs apply
Which? Wills prize T&Cs

[Ashhead24]

We bought a diy will kit and never used it. So when DC was born we made an appointment and got it done. We're also not married and so it was important that we sorted this, but having DC really focused our minds.

[Sammyislost]

I would like to write a will, but I haven't because I am unaware of the cost required to write one, I assume it would be high, or what actually goes into writing a will (do I need to write who would have my children if I died?! I have no idea!).

I will be looking into it a bit more as its something I worry about!

[LadyStoicIsBack]

Shockingly, this thread has just given me an almighty wake-up call as I haven't yet made my will yet have both complicated asset & pension situation, AND blended family matters to consider. IE I am probably the person most in need of a will I know, yet have never got round to doing it

My instinct is that many of us procrastinate about drawing up wills as we think we don't HAVE to do it 'yet' - but in reality that is pure madness as who knows what tomorrow may bring?

The other thing that has focussed my mind on it this week is the horrendous situation in the press surrounding Lynda Bellingham's beloved boys whom it would appear she presumed her DH would take care of thus allegedly leaving entire estate to him. AKA, if he is being the dick her sons allege he is, then she has inadvertently wholly disinherited them which is beyond tragic if true

[Raeray]

I haven't read the whole thread - but I do have a will, I've not got children but whilst family members were getting wills done I thought I should do too as otherwise I may not have got round to it for a while.

I've had friends go through awful stresses when their parents have sadly died without wills - it adds pressure to an already stressful time which I know their parents wouldn't have wanted at all.

No one wants to think about death, but I guess no one wants for their relatives to leap through legal loopholes after their death because they don't have a will.

This is a good thread, thank you.

[Haffdonga]

DH and I have mirror wills written when our dcs were small. I got them done free through my teaching union. But, being naive, we nominated the solicitor's company as our executors, not realising that the charges would be extortionate to our dcs. (Nobody else in our families could do this.)

Now we want to change the wills to nominate our grownup dcs to be executors but don't know if we can simply rewrite our current wills (properly witnessed etc) ourselves or if we really need to spend so much money for someone to do this for us.

[StickChildNumberTwo]

It took us a while to get round to making wills after our daughter was born, but that was the motivation. It also made us think about who we'd want to care for her if the worst were to happen - not a conversation you ever want to have, but really important. I don't think we have that officially recorded anywhere though (although we asked the relevant person if she was happy to take on that responsibility should the need arise) which we probably should.

[AveEldon]

The other matter to consider is any funeral wishes you have
We had a sudden death in the family and the funeral was a big issue as the deceased had not made their wishes clear

[heavenlypink]

I'm someone who really should have a will. I'm cohabiting with my partner and have done for 19 years. We have the one child, a teen, with a learning disability. My OH isn't great with money and I do actually have savings he knows nothing about but that's a whole other thread I feel it will be very complicated and expensive.

[simplydivine05]

I think it is very important to have a will if you have children (says she who doesn't have one). I should have one, I know I should. I'm a mother, with a long term partner I'm not married to but have various joint financials with. My partner doesn't have one either, but he isn't a parent so it is a bit different for him. I've put it off and put it off, mostly due to a lack of time. We both work Mon to Fri and don't often have time off together to go see a solicitor.

The other thing is finding a good solicitor who isn't going to charge a fortune. Where do you even begin?! It isn't something you are likely to get a recommendation for from friends or even family as it isn't something that is talked about.

[PetraDelphiki]

If you have an existing will I think you can just change the executors with a codicil (properly signed and witnessed)...or you could just copy out your existing one and change the executors names. As long as nothing else changes then you don't need a solicitor. Or you could try mumblechum (Marlow wills?) who I know is well recommended on here!

But simple mirror wills without blended families should not cost a huge amount. I will probably be shouted at by lawyers but I would imagine even a diy one on a template from whsmiths would be better than nothing.

[PetraDelphiki]

Oh and you should be able to visit the solicitors separately if needed...time before last we did ours I don't think my husband ever met the solicitor!!!

[MiniMum97]

I've been meaning to write a will since my son was born....he's now 19!! I think what has put me off is having so many decisions to make about what you want to happen. Initially it was the decision as to who we would want to look after our son in the event of our deaths. But later it has been more about how to work out all the financial elements particularly as I am now married and not to my son's father. And then there's the decision about who to go to for the best advice. Who's going to give you all the options and at a reasonable cost. Too many things to think about in an already busy life that it just never seems to happen although I know we need to do it.
If I felt we would receive advice on what to include in a will given our circumstances, that would be a message that would encourage me to take the plunge.

[renas]

My husband and I got round to writing a will 7/8 years ago, didn't like doing it I must say not nice thinking about being gone but it's something everyone ought to do otherwise there could be huge problems.

[TracyKNixon]

I do have savings but haven't made a will. The subject scares me and I would love someone to devise a way of making it more of an easier process/topic to discuss.

[buddyboy1966]

My husband and I made a will a few years ago, particularity to put our wishes with regards to our children, we named by brother and sister in law to be prime carers, but reading this has made me rethink my wishes. It is important to make a will, as it makes the loved ones around you be sure they are carrying out your wishes, be able to benefit from your estate the way you would have wanted, but it is equally important to keep it up to date, as my brother would not be the prime carer now, due to his circumstances. I will be sorting this today. Thanks mumsnet. And thanks to all contributors.

[alabaster002]

It is sad how even the closest family members can fight over the smallest of items when someone dies. Making a will - and saying what you want at your funeral etc - is pretty sobering but is an important legacy that can help your loved ones when you are gone.

[gamerwidow]

Me and dh both got wills when dd was born. We don't have much in the way of assets and are married so would inherit from each other as default but we wanted to make custody arrangements for dd clear should we both die while she was a child.

[Nettie17]

Since I've had children I have made a will and appointed executors. The children are young and would need advice before they could take responsibility for what I would leave them. It's a very simple will and it serves a purpose to make things easier should anything happen.
Always remember to change your will if circumstances change.

[maryandbuzz1]

We have both written our wills and I believe it is important to have everything ready just in case. However talking from personal experience just setting things straight in a will can cause problems and issues even though a will is meant to iron these out.

[cazzzie987]

A good idea, I really should do one but haven't got around to it!

[ThemisA]

I have always had a will which has changed as my children age and their needs change. It always gave me comfort to know they would be taken care of. I have also made notes on their personalities, needs, likes, dislikes to ensure their guardians would know what I think they need on an emotional level.

[barbsbarbs]

where there's a will there's a relative...... okay its very important, even if you haven't got a lot of assets, because when you have children, specifying who will look after them if something happens to you is vital.

[claireblaney123]

There a brilliant thing, for people with money & assets, but i hate the thought of death it completely scares the life out of me . So i don't think i could face doing one at the moment it might change when i get in my 50's

[Ganne1]

It's not only money and assets one needs to think of. There's also the question of who should have custody of the children should anything happen. It certainly should resolve any squabbling between relatives.

[bridge16]

My husband and i finally did our wills last year when we were going away just the two of us and thought it was important just in case anything was to happen while we were away from the kids. In truth we should have done this a long time before but feel a relief its done now as i do think its important as whilst not a nice thing to think about, it is vital to do it so everybody is looked after as good to be prepared.