By making a Will you can decide what happens to your property and possessions after your death. Making a will is the only way to ensure your estate is passed on to family and friends exactly as you wish. Having a will in place makes it much easier and quicker to apportion your estate after your death. If you have specific guardians in mind for your children, you must make a will to appoint them in the event of your death otherwise this is decided by the courts.

Anyone over the age of 18 with the mental capacity to do so.

Making a Will at any time is important but you should definitely have one if experiencing any one of the following six key life stages:

• Buying a house 

• Co-habiting

• Having children 

• Getting married

• Divorcing 

• If you would like to reduce inheritance tax or care fees

As a general rule, consider who you would want to benefit from your Will and the estate you may leave behind after your death. We understand that this is not an easy process; we’ll talk you through each step, so that you can make informed decisions along the way.

As a general rule of thumb, you should review your will every 3-5 years, even if you feel nothing has changed in terms of your circumstances or wishes. This will ensure you are still happy with your wishes and that your will still accurately reflects how you would like your estate to be distributed after you die. You should also review your Will in the event of any significant life changes/events such as buying a house or co-habiting, having children, getting married or divorced, or if you are worrying about inheritance tax and care home fees.

An executor can be a friend, family member, surviving spouse or a professional that you name within your Will who will carry the responsibility of executing the wishes you have expressed within it.

You need to choose somebody who you believe is trustworthy and who you know well or a professional (we work with Kings Court Trust who are able to act as a professional executor – please ask for details). We recommend you choose more than one executor as a safeguard.