Whitebrook Wills Blog

It started off as one of those silly conversations which teeter banter and argument.  My husband, George, moaned about how I had again left my car unlocked, and I suggested he should make sure his next wife was a bit more careful!

Then I added that I’d happily bequeath my battered old Volvo to whomever eventually took my place.

Still, this little episode did have one beneficial outcome as it got me thinking about how we both needed to make a Will.

The truth is that, like many people, we’re not particularly keen to have maudlin conversations about death or how we’d like to divide the spoils of the life we’ve built together once we have departed from it.

Yet with three children and five grandchildren to consider it does seem a bit irresponsible not to make clear and proper provision for the family.

We did make our Wills just after Louise was born but that was almost thirty years ago and so much has changed – more kids, plus grandkids and property etc – that those Wills would probably cause more problems than they would solve.

Of course we’re not alone as a recent survey showed that most people would rather go on holiday, do home improvements or even buy a sofa than spend money on making a Will.   

So it’s no surprise that more than half of us haven’t made a Will. And the reason for this? Is it the money? It seems unlikely as even wealthy people have died without making a Will.  Last year the comedian Rik Mayall died intestate.  And in the aftermath of the murder of Jill Dando in 1999 it emerged that had she not made a Will either, so her partner, who she was planning to marry, received nothing of the £1m plus estate – it all passed to her father who was in his 80’s.

The only way you can be sure of avoiding potential problems is to make a Will – it’s never too early but it can be too late.