Wills

Wills – a guide to what you need to know

Why do you need a Will?

If you die without a Will, intestacy rules apply, which means the law dictates how your estate is shared. This means that your estate could be distributed in a way you might not have wanted. It could mean your family could receive less than you wanted or in some instances nothing at all.

Naming Guardianship for your children

It is important to name guardianship for your children. Without doing so it could be up to the family courts to decide who will be named guardians, which means your children may end up in the care with someone you might not have preferred.

Do you have children but have remarried?

Without a Will, your estate will mostly go to your spouse. This could mean that children won’t receive their fair share of your estate this is called “Sideways Disinheritance”.

Are you unmarried parents?

If you are unmarried your estate Will go entirely to your Children, which could cause your partner to struggle without some inheritance.

Protect your property from care costs.

With the spiralling cost of care in old age, most people do not have enough provisions in place to cover these costs, which means your property may need to be used to pay for it. However, there are provisions you can put in place to protect your property from being absorbed by care costs.