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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We drew up our first will when the children where born and have just set up a new one. We have two daughters with some special needs who are now adults. We wanted their needs covered and that they didn't directly inherit our assets. We had a recommended solicitor come round to the house in the evening and sit round the kitchen table and discuss it all. We now have set up a trust fund which will start when we die (thought wrongly that they were only for rich people) and trustees to manage it all for the benefit of our daughters. Now they can continue to get benefits and since they are quite vulnerable if they marry they can't be taken advantage of as they legally don't own anything.
The whole thing cost £250, well worth it anring.com/prod the solicitor was really helpful. We also set up power of attorney over the children's finances as well as they are not really capable of managing their own financial affairs.

I've not got around to writing a will yet, I like to live for today and not worry about the future . I'm sure it will have to be looked at sometime.

Even if you haven't much savings or assets a will makes it easier for family to sort our your affairs, and if you have young children you can name who you want to be their guardian which saves a lot of infighting

I never really wanted to make a will, didn't want to think about it, but the first time I booked a flight holiday which I was terrified of flying, I did make a will

Wills are something we keep putting off and really it should be done sooner rather than later. The trouble is it seems so complicated as we have two of a family and one has learning difficulties and would need support with any money coming her way, and we are at a loss with how to deal with it. We really need expert help I think.

I think its a very important issue that many people try to avoid because of lack of awareness on how to proceed and because you have to face the possibility of your own death. DH and I sorted ours out when we got married and will re-look at them when our first baby is born to include items such as guardianship.

We wrote ours 'in contemplation of marriage', we felt it was absolutely essential as each own our own house, live in mine. He has six children, I have two, all grown up. What a mess it would have left them with if we had been run over by the proverbial bus. But I'm seriously alarmed by otherwise perfectly sane, sensible, intelligent friends, who don't want to write theirs as "It's maudlin talking about death".

I made my first will when I was going through a divorce, which I was ok with but a little while later it needed adjusting and it is not a cheap process. I think more people might make a will if they could actually afford the money to pay for it, and apart from waiting until you are over a certain age or it is cheap wills month in October, there doesn't seem to be any way around the cost. You can write your own but then there will always be the worry of whether it's done to standard. Also, you need to write a letter of wishes for things that don't go in your will but you want to happen for certain, like what will happen to your pets etc.
Don't forget things like your careen you write your will

Have not got one but I do see the need if you have any assets.

Auto spell! I mean don't forget your car when you write your will.

We need wills but lots of people think they need to be old to write one when infact we should all have one as it saves our loved ones having to do it as they should be grieving

I think Wills are very important, especially if young children are involved. Even more-so in my case because if anything happened to my husband and I, my son would be torn between living with my parents in North Carolina or living with my husband's relatives here in England.

I think wills are extremely important to have in place when you have kids and/or other extremely important assets, I think they provide a sense of security and nothing can cause confusion when you pass away if you have a well written will

I think they are a good idea

When you have a family a will is very important. Even more so if you are. It married and have been before beware of an ex they can claim. It's not what we want to think about but please do it .

we havent' made our wills but it is something we really should do. It all just seems rather daunting.

Myself and my husband have wills.I think it is vital thing to do when you have children and want to leave them something behind. Also in the case of our deaths.We wanted peace of mind that they would be someone there to look after our children.

I haven't organised a will yet, but know that I really should - I'm just such a procrastinator but I don't know how to start! I'm sure if I did a little research then probably most of my fears would be allayed and I know I shouldn't wait until the worst happens!

Wills are absolutely vital, this will protect what the person wanted to happen and more importantly stop any arguments between family and friends.

I'm ashamed to say we haven't got round to it yet but it is something we do need to do.

I'm ashamed to say we haven't got round to it yet but it is something we do need to do.

Just to make the point again - all this worrying about writing a will is absolutely pointless if the executors decide to take the law into their own hands .
you will be amazed at the lack of scrutiny/accountability and how much it will cost you to persue them .

i think making a will is imperative as it saves any hassle for your family when you pass

Wills were something I thought weren't that important until having children. My thoughts on them have completely changed since and feel they are essential.

DP wasn't too bothered, but I insisted that we made a joint will some years ago. We weren't married, and he'd never got round to getting divorced, which meant that his ex could have an automatic claim on his estate (Scotland).

He died a few months ago, and having the will made everything so much easier. I didn't have to go through confirmation/probate to get bank accounts etc transferred, for example, I only had to show the death certificate and copy of the will to our bank. We made the will during will week, or whatever it's called, and made a donation of £150 for it - best investment ever.

It was very straightforward to write our wills. I have written an additional letter of wishes to go with my existing will, which is still valid. I wanted to provide my executor with more specific information like funeral details, my preferences for my child's education, how money could be invested for them, etc, which can all be included in a will. Although DP was terminally ill, he put off discussing his funeral wishes, which was one more thing to worry and stress about during an awful time. If you want to help your loved ones, and make a hard time a little easier, you should get your will sorted and leave some instructions.