Winter 2020The importance of making a will

More than half of British adults do not have a will. Here, Judith Dunn, Associate Solicitor at Molesworths Bright Clegg in Rochdale town centre, explains the benefits of making a will.

It is very important to make a will.  If you die without a will your money and property will be distributed in accordance with the intestacy rules. They set out who is entitled to your estate.

In some cases, these rules do make the provision for your family that you would want to make. However, in other cases they do not. Most notably, the intestacy rules do not make provision for partners who are not married or who are in a civil partnership.

This can lead to your estate passing to your children, your parents, your brothers and sisters and possibly even your aunts, uncles and cousins, rather than to your partner. Your partner would then be forced to either ask for assistance from your family or apply to court for financial provision from your estate.

By making a will you can make sure that your estate goes to the people that you want to look after.

You can also appoint the people you trust to carry out your wishes as your executors. You can make sure that family heirlooms pass to the right people. You can make provision for friends or charities if you wish. You can also name guardians to look after your children.

Leaving a will makes things much easier for those left behind.

Making a will is still possible during the current Covid pandemic. At Molesworths Bright Clegg we are open for business and have covid secure meeting facilities if you prefer to see someone face to face.