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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:
NoSquirrels · 09/09/2017 18:52

For all those who haven't done it yet, we went during Will Aid, which is in November:

www.willaid.org.uk/will-makers/find-a-solicitor

Mirror wills, DC all accounted for should we die together both financially & guardians etc.

And we've talked about them with everyone. Had some nasty experience with wills lately, so talking about it is the best.

koalab · 09/09/2017 18:57

We did mirror wills when I was pregnant. We kept it simple and our solicitor guided us through it. It was very straightforward. My DD is 9 months old and i already want to change the guardians because I know one of them would not bring my DD up how I'd like.

flozza42 · 09/09/2017 19:21

I have had a Will since I remarried, children are all grown up now but I did work as a legal Secretary so one of the perks of the job was to have any legal documents like a Will done for free so important to have one set up especially if you like myself co own a house and have children from a former marriage to ensure they are provided for

frenchfancy89 · 09/09/2017 20:47

I still need to have a will written up, I haven't set one up yet as I didn't want to set one up until i had stopped having children. Now that I have been sterilised I want to write one but me and my partner are not married so not sure if I want to write it just yet until he asks.
On the other hand, I still haven't sorted out life insurance but he has some and hasn't updated it yet (have just reminded him to update with our new baby).

quizqueen · 09/09/2017 21:25

I made a formal will last year when I saw a local solicitor advertising 'free will' week on their window (previously I had just one I wrote myself from a stationery shop). It said you could donate to a charity but there was no obligation in their literature. The solicitor I saw got really shirty with me when I said I didn't like any of the charities they had listed and that I gave to charity when I wanted to and reminded them what I had read. Then she didn't like what I wanted to do with my inheritance and said it wasn't what usually happened!!Then I got shirty with her and told her it my business to decide ( basically equal split between my 2 daughters but, if one died before me, then everything to go to the remaining daughter). She said half should go to the grandchildren. I didn't want their father to be in charge of the money but trusted my other daughter to share some with them, which I know she would. Regardless of what is 'normal', the solicitor was there to record my wishes not put her own thoughts forward. When I shown the draft to a friend, who was an retired solicitor ,he said she hadn't made it clear so I had to ask her to rewrite. She was not happy but the fact that she did do it meant she hadn't written what I wanted in the first place. Needless to say, I will never use them again.

littleme96 · 09/09/2017 22:01

We have mirror wills which we had drawn up during Will Aid month a few years ago. We probably need to update it, but I am not really sure about how to do this.

It didn't take very long to set up and I feel relieved that it is sorted.

buckley1983 · 09/09/2017 22:34

Oh goodness - this is a stark reminder that I really must get this done. There always seems to be so many other things to think about, but if anything awful did happen - it would be doubly hard for those left behind if our wishes weren't made clear.
This has now been given priority spot on my 'to-do' list!

Bsummers · 09/09/2017 23:19

I've been putting it back, but It's always something I've been planning to do.

Stephgr8 · 09/09/2017 23:58

It's still on our "must do" list. We had wills before children but are finding it very difficult to discuss and prioritise updating.

Helsbells68 · 10/09/2017 09:00

We have wills but need to change them due to a change in circumstances, might get round to that one day.

Ikea1234 · 10/09/2017 10:01

My partners mum died without a will, after coming interact her a large amount of money following a divorce, and that was incredibly messy, especially as she had a new partner. We definitely learnt from that, and have a will, particularly as we have a disabled son, who we feel maybe more vulnerable and open to exploitation by others, but I do still worry whether it's robust and thorough enough. Although we have common sense, and aren't daft, you have to take the legal advice you are given,don't you? I just hope that the advice we have been given (how to cover ourselves against others coming in and making claims etc) is correct, and our sons inheritance is safe.
My ultimate advice is have a will. End of.

dilydaly · 10/09/2017 10:33

We've just started discussions about having a will should anything happen to my husband or myself. We have 2 young daughters so I think it's important to think of these things, as my Nan always said, hope for the best and always plan for the worst ! We plan on leaving everything to our children and have decided that immediate family would be their guardians should the worst happen. Not a very nice subject but it's bittersweet peace of mind for us.

ShangriLaLaLa · 10/09/2017 11:55

PS For those of you putting it off, it wasn't necessarily the dismal experience that you might believe it to be.

However, I recall DH telling me that his father had received a terminal diagnosis and had gone off to make a will. The very young solicitor asked him what his intentions were for his funeral, which was extremely upsetting, given the circumstances. We found it far easier to have these discussions when they are intentions for the (hopefully) distant future.

Cailin7 · 10/09/2017 13:04

we made wills a number of years ago. have not updated them, but other than some of our dcs being over 18 now our circumstances have not changed.

mamof3boys · 10/09/2017 14:21

We haven't got a will and it does bother me. It's something we should prioritise as we have three children.

vickyors · 10/09/2017 15:15

We have a will. My OH wasn't convinced, but we did it last year with a local solicitor. We booked an appointment, and she went over what we needed to think about. We asked our preferred people if they would be guardians of our kids if ever needed, and sorted out who would get what and gifts for our godchildren etc. Actually, it was really lovely to know that if something did happen to us, or kids would be looked after, and we could divide our property and savings in a well- considered way..

pinkjjf27 · 10/09/2017 15:48

My husband had a heart attack and after set up a will i did mine at the same time he then was diagnosed with cancer. I lost him and i am now alone raising our kids so my will is in place and one less thing I have to worry about. I personally didn't find it was confusing or very expensive I am surprised to read people have had that experience.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 10/09/2017 16:49

I had one drawn up about 4 years ago. It was very quick and easy. It makes me feel more secure knowing there's arrangements in place if something happens to me. That and life insurance. My mum had neither and it did leave a bit of a vacuum.

farhanac · 10/09/2017 18:02

Discussing about doing one at the moment

cocochips · 10/09/2017 20:07

I don't have a will yet

daisyduke66 · 10/09/2017 20:25

Yes, having a Will is an essential - and there's no need to spend a fortune doing one either - there's absolutely no reason, in straightforward cases, why you can't do it yourself and ensure that family know where it is and what it contains. Although it may not be a pleasant topic of discussion, a matter of fact, open approach is good - for everyone's peace of mind.

phillie1 · 10/09/2017 21:00

As soon as we had our 1st child, will made and provisions in it for who would have the kids if the terrible happened(after talking it through with my brother of course, who would be their guardians)

Anj123 · 10/09/2017 22:21

We only recently made a will after years of not getting round to it. We went to a local solicitor. It took a few meetings but now glad we did it for peace of mind.

Emmap12 · 10/09/2017 22:35

We made one 12 years ago but it does need updating due to changes in circumstances. The last 12 years have flown by and it is one of those things that can get forgotten about or pushed aside by more pressing issues. I'm going to get on the case this week 😀

ItsAMackerel · 10/09/2017 22:42

We have mirror wills that we made when DC was just a few months old.

I think it really hit home that we needed to secure the future. I was quite emotional when we talked about guardians for DC should DH and I die together - you know that you need to consider it but it's very hard. Equally it was all slightly surreal when the solicitor started talking about the 'apocalypse' scenario when all of the family were somehow killed together and what happened after that.