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MNHQ

Tell Co-op Legal Services about your experiences with making a will - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

307 replies

EmmaMumsnet · 05/09/2017 17:21

If you and your partner have children together, thinking ahead to a time when the unimaginable has happened and both you and your partner have passed away, leaving your child (or children) in need of a Legal Guardian, is an awful conversation to think about, let alone have. However, Co-op Legal Services know that if you make formal arrangements in relation to a will, you are able to name the Legal Guardians of your children instead of the Court making a decision you might not have wished for. With that in mind, Co-op Legal Services would like to know your experiences with making a will.

James Antoniou, Head of Wills at Co-op Legal Services, says: “As parents, we recognise the need to protect our children throughout our lifetimes. Making a will and providing for guardianship is an extension of that protection, ensuring that our wishes are clear about who will be responsible for their upbringing.

If you are interested in starting your wills journey with the Co-op, start your will online now"

Do you currently have a will? Or is it still an ongoing process? How did you go about making some of the important decisions that a will requires? Do you have the conversations surrounding a will with your family?

So whether you’ve set up one already or looking to begin making one, share your experiences below and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks, and good luck

MNHQ

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Tell Co-op Legal Services about your experiences with making a will - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
bimbobaggins · 15/09/2017 22:01

Getting a will made was something I'd never thought of. Was if he mentality it will never happen to me! Unfortunately my ex dp , father of my son passed away this year and I realised I had to get my own affairs in order. Was quite a simple process, had already decided what I wanted and guardianship for my ds. Cost £120. Also have written down my wishes for my fun.
Of the many people I have spoken to about wills etc I think only 1 person had a will. I think most people think they never have to worry about these things

dubdub17 · 16/09/2017 07:16

We had a will made about 15 years ago. I think it was one of those where solicitors give up their free time and we donated money to a charity. It needs updating now. We stipulated family members to look after the kids but it was a difficult talk to have with them. Felt a bit 'emotional blackmaily' to be honest ('if we were both to die, would you look after our children?...). Of course they said yes but I was very much aware that their kids were older and that they might have been thinking 'well, once ours had left the nest, we'd planned in having some couple time again and hadn't scheduled in another 2 younger kids'.

MAForster · 16/09/2017 12:44

We did not want to leave our children with difficulties sorting out our estate after our deaths (hopefully not in the near future but with road accidents you never know). Therefore we invested in a solicitor to make sure the will was done properly. It was less than £220 including VAT and we thought this was a good investment to give us peace of mind.

TableMirror · 16/09/2017 12:44

We took out life insurance when our son was born and we were recommended a will writing company, they were awful. Spent ages on the phone to them and they wanted regularly annual fees to store the will. We ended up using a local solicitor who wrote us mirror wills with a clause that didn't require new wills if we married. They were practical, helpful and easy to deal with.

Pillowaddict · 16/09/2017 16:18

DH and I made a will when buying our first home and didn't update until we bought our most recent - given our dc 1 was 4 by then slightly late in the day for making arrangements for children re guardianship. Much happier now that's done and things are secured for their future.

Enigma222 · 16/09/2017 19:09

Only spoke about this a few days ago with my husband. We both need to do one but just don't know where to start. Must get this done sooner than later.

AveEldon · 16/09/2017 19:15

We have DIY ones
Concerned that professional ones will be a rip off

burwellmum · 16/09/2017 19:23

We made mirror wills at a local solicitors when we had our first child. We really should do something about them as said child got married a couple of weeks ago but I suspect nothing will happen until grandchildren arrive. We didn't have any difficult discussions just went with my suggestions.

mayathebee · 17/09/2017 00:29

We set up a will shortly after our first child was born, when we bought our house. DP and I discussed what we wanted at length and we spoke to the people we wanted as guardians and executors but we made the decisions ourselves. Luckily we wanted the same things so it was fairly straightforward. Our solicitor was fantastic but it felt a bit odd when he asked whether we had specific ideas about our funerals - I'd never thought about it!

POTC · 17/09/2017 01:07

I have been thinking about a will for years but the cost has meant I've not done it yet. It's something that I think is important, especially as my children have different fathers but both call the same person dad.

andy16k · 17/09/2017 16:53

I dint currently have a will in place as never felt the need to have one
Got our first scan tomorrow morning though so there's gonna be a lot of stuff that I need to do, will be adding this to my list!

BGcat14 · 17/09/2017 17:36

We got a will when when we bought a house but need to update it regarding children.. we're thinking of having open conversations with family first then getting it amended. But it never seems the right time! We really need to do it but keep putting it off..

rocketriffs · 17/09/2017 17:57

I have not made a will, but have trust funds for the children in equal amounts. If I was to make one, I would share everything equally among my kids as I'm a single parent.

fatasapancake · 17/09/2017 18:46

We made wills when I was pregnant with our last child. We have mirror wills and agreed on guardianship for our children so didn't find the process too difficult. We have talked to my family about our wills/guardianship and the children are aware too but DH does not want to discuss it with his family.

The thing that stopped us making wills for far too long was that we thought it would be expensive. We made the wills via will aid and the main motivator for that was knowing a fixed cost.

We haven't specifically reviewed our wills (made them approx 8 years ago now) but nothing has really changed and the plans we made are still right for us.

Dormouse1940 · 17/09/2017 19:21

Eeeek I don't have a will and I really need to pull my finger out and get that sorted out... just in case, y'know....

It's a bit hard thinking about what would happen should neither me nor my OH be here to watch our DC grow up...but probly worse than having to leave it for someone else to decide.

Hopefully this'll be the kick up the- I need to look into it properly. Let's hope it's not too expensive or complicated though!

cheekychicken24 · 17/09/2017 19:26

My DH and I have mirror wills. We don't have children together, but I have a DSS & a DSD

The discussion was pretty difficult - obviously we both wanted to take care of my DH's children, but most of the value in our 'estate' comes from my family - property I inherited from my mum & dad, so we had to discuss what amounts to leave to who.

We made our wills with the solicitor who'd dealt with my mum's will, and to be honest, he wasn't much help.

I think we need to change and redo them as it's been a few years, but it's pretty expensive, so we keep putting it off.

feefeegabor · 17/09/2017 20:09

We made Wills last during during Will Week in November. It was very straightforward - we used a local Solicitor who drew up the Wills and we went back in to sign them. I would recommend it - it's so easy!

melmoo · 17/09/2017 22:47

We have a will that we drew up when the kids were young. We dicussed it with my sister as it states she'll care for the kids if we die. That was before she had her own though ...... perhaps we should review it.

TiggersAngel7774 · 18/09/2017 08:03

No and keep meaning to, as had expression of wish with ex-employer .

allibaby · 18/09/2017 10:03

I don't have a will although I know I should have.
I have talked about my wishes with my family but should really have it all drawn up professionally.
It's another ''on my to do list''

cluckyhen · 18/09/2017 10:12

I don't have a will at all but my husband does. I don't have any assests so I've never seen the point. It has been discussed that really we need a joint one for the children but I just haven't gotten around to it

sofieellis · 18/09/2017 13:29

Our children are older now, but we still haven't made a will. This post has reminded me that it's something we really need to do.

mumpetuk1 · 18/09/2017 14:30

We have them but have not had them signed which is silly!

KJ1986UK · 18/09/2017 14:34

I don't have one yet but it's something I have been thinking about lately since starting a new job (where there seem to be quite a few accidents etc.).

CatRash · 18/09/2017 14:55

I don't have a will yet, neither does DH - I just don't feel I have enough possessions to make a will and anything I do have will just pass to my DH. However really we should get something in place especially since my DD arrived 9 weeks ago!