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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:
xcxcsophiexcxc · 10/09/2017 22:53

I've just had a son and bought a flat in that order and really should make a will, it's one of those things I keep talking about but as I'm still relatively young I havnt though it's a silly thing to do, I need to get my affairs in order

angiehoggett · 11/09/2017 11:00

It's not something I've thought about at this stage but I do find it all confusing and legal jargon!

jacqui5366 · 11/09/2017 11:28

we have had conversations about making a will after a friend of ours died young, we got a DIY kit of the internet, and filled it it, where we stated who we would like to look after our children, and what we would like to happen to our pensions, home and savings. It only cost us £20 to get is sorted.

Elizasmum02 · 11/09/2017 13:00

ive had discussion with my husband and hes aware of my wishes but i always seem to put of doing a will

Pipstarz41 · 11/09/2017 13:25

We (me) keep putting it off. DH wants the children to go to his sister if we both kick the bucket, but I don't...she doesn't want kids and as she's made that as a life decision I don't think we should force her to change that. But there is no other logical person to change it to, so we just keep shelving the conversation.

Wincher · 11/09/2017 13:53

We've just mad our wills - finally got around to it. We just have a pair of simple mirror wills leaving everything to each other and appointing my SIL and her partner as guardians for our children in the event we both die. As my DH and I are married, and we don't have any other children apart from the ones we have together, it wasn't as crucial for us as for some that we make wills, but hopefully should the worst happen it will mean that it is one less thing to worry about. What I'm not totally sure about is where to store the wills (we just literally signed them at home this weekend) - do we send them back to the solicitor for storage, and if so, how would other family know where to find them? Or do we store them at home - and ditto? Any advice?

JoGodfray · 11/09/2017 14:10

We made a will 10 years ago - we had very different insurance policies back then we should redo it really.

windowmouse · 11/09/2017 16:07

No I don't have a will, but after having my first child 3 months ago I should look into it. As I am not married to my partner, I will make him get his sorted too!

mollymoo818 · 11/09/2017 16:41

I think it is such an important thing to make sure that you have a will and that your partner and family know your wishes. It doesn't even have to be that expensive either, I have noticed that lot's of solicitors have offers on to draw up a will. It is worth doing for extra piece of mind.

CalmanOnSpeeddial · 11/09/2017 16:47

Bloody hell windowmouse, you really can't afford to hang around if you're an unmarried cohabitees. Seriously, your DP could fall under a bus tomorrow.

sweir1 · 11/09/2017 17:56

I had an easy time with will aid last November. I highly recommend it

jandoc · 11/09/2017 18:40

we are in the process of getting our wills sorted out and so far it hasn't been too bad to organise

BL0SS0M · 12/09/2017 01:42

I've put this off for so long but having kids makes it much more urgent as i want to make sure everything is in place if anything happened

Justchillaxing · 12/09/2017 06:59

I made a will with a very helpful mner a few years ago and recently changed it following the separation from my husband. I don't have anything to leave but wanted to specify who would care for my dd and my pets in the event of my death.

carolineandbaby · 12/09/2017 07:15

I originally set up a will through my bank which offered this as a free service a few years ago however I have since moved house and got another little one on the way. I know it needs updating and I do care about what I leave my family when I'm gone but in a busy family lifestyle it's one of those jobs that always gets pushed to the bottom of the pile.

Davenotdave · 12/09/2017 07:31

I got a diy one from the stationers and never completed it. Then never got around to doing one during will week. Should really get one sorted.

manfalou · 12/09/2017 10:20

Me and My husband both need to do a will.

I hope that a will ... in some circumstances to do with my grandma... will help make a hard situation easier.

Pigeonpea · 12/09/2017 13:11

We've made a will and did so quite early on, maybe within the first 6 months of having our daughter.
I'm not at all convinced that the will was done correctly and I was staggered when they offered to store it for us at an annual cost of £99 per year!
When I first bought a house and was single, I made a Will through a solicitor, with no annual storage charge.....

strawberrisc · 12/09/2017 14:22

I absolutely have a will. I have one daughter and I am paying into a mortgage. My will sets out exactly how I want for her if the worst were to happen. Not only in terms of money or goods but also my own wishes. For example, I want to be cremated (as cheaply as possible) and I've stated where I want my ashes to be scattered. I want to be an organ donor. I have picked my funeral song. The reason I have stipulated all of this (and have already told my family about it) is so that they don't have to make awful decisions thinking 'but is this what she would have wanted?'

emmmaaa26 · 12/09/2017 16:07

Not got a will but it has been talked about. I have made clear what I would want if I was to go and so has my family.

ClockBusCanada · 12/09/2017 16:57

I previously made a will when I bought my first home, but haven't updated it since meeting DH. Other than our cars and home we don't have any assets worth more than £400. We have made enquiries about trying to get one done with a couple of companies and were told we needed to gather every piece of financial information pertaining to each one of us in a folder before booking any time with the solicitor. This is something we're working towards but always seems to fall off the to-do list. If there was a way to make provision for our DC without necessarily needing to gather account numbers from all over everywhere we would jump at it like a shot, so I'd be interested to know if there was a way of doing this without needing to print off everything from the mortgage to graze box details.

Anyway this has at least reminded me to update my union membership since changing job as their death in service benefit is really good .

flamingtoaster · 12/09/2017 18:01

DH and I had mirror wills written when we got married. These were updated when the children arrived with our wishes as to what would happen to them having discussed it with the family members involved. I think it's incredibly important to do this as a lot of money can be wasted on legal fees if there is no will, and a lot of anguish can be avoided if a proper will is in place.

Kathderoet · 12/09/2017 18:27

We had a will made through a solicitor, there's complications involved in our inheritance. I still don't feel clear on what we have included in it. I feel it's something that needs looking at again

Teabay · 12/09/2017 19:03

I made a will with my exh years ago - now I need to redo it after divorce. It's important that in the event of my death (and after his of course) that the DC don't end up with HIS family.

ProfAnnieT · 12/09/2017 20:58

We made wills after the DC were born, it's really important that if we're not around to look after them, that there are things in place to make sure that things are clear and as straightforward as possible with no wrangling or disputes.