Making a Will
Making a Will involves considering all sorts of important questions: what do you own that would need to be dealt with when you are gone? Who are the people in your life who will need help and support?
These are questions lots of people prefer not to think about, but with the right sensitive advice and support, it can be relatively quick and painless to make a Will that gives you and your loved one’s peace of mind.
Tayntons’ Will writing solicitors and lawyers, based in Gloucester, have extensive experience helping people from all walks of life to plan for the future. Whether you have a straightforward estate or more complex assets, we can help ensure everything is correctly accounted for and that your loved ones will be taken care of.
We offer a fixed fee Will writing service for straightforward Wills, as well as discounts for writing Mirror Wills for spouses, civil partners etc.
Our Wills solicitors and lawyers will be happy to provide a quote for more complex work and we can also help you with your Will based on a pre-agreed hourly rate if required.
Speak to one of our Wills solicitors now by calling 0800 158 4147 or request a call back and a member of our team will be in touch.
The opportunity to find out for yourself where your estate will go
If you would like to find out what will happen to your estate if you don’t have a Will, we would like to invite you to try our short and simple Inheritance Questionnaire. It involves a simple questionnaire that can be completed via desktop, tablet or mobile. The questionnaire takes only a minute to complete and as soon as your heirs are identified, it will advise you of the results. In a surprising number of cases, the outcome is not what the user was expecting, prompting them to consider exactly what they want to happen to their estate when the time comes.
Click here for our Inheritance Questionnaire
General information on making a Will
Why you should make a Will
Over two thirds of the population haven’t made a Will. Here are 10 reasons why you should make a Will:
- You get to decide what happens to your assets on your death. Without a Will, your estate will pass in accordance with the rules of intestacy which may not be how you wish your estate to be distributed.
- You can decide who deals with the administration of your estate. These are your Executors.
- Having a Will makes it easier for family and friends to deal with your estate and there is less likely to be conflict as to who gets what.
- A Will, if properly drafted, can reduce the amount of IHT payable on your estate
- You can choose who you wish to appoint as guardian(s) to any of your children under the age of 18 years.
- You can leave a specific amount of money or a specific item, e.g. a family keepsake, to an individual person.
- In a Will you can create trusts to help preserve wealth for future generations and protect vulnerable or disabled beneficiaries
- If you have children from a previous marriage or relationship, you can make provision in your Will for them to ultimately inherit your estate but still provide for your current partner or spouse.
- A Will protects couples who have not married or entered into a civil partnership. Without a Will, they may receive nothing.
- The absence of a Will can sometimes lead to disputes within the family.
What to include in a Will
Exactly what your Will should contain will depend on your circumstances, including what assets and dependants you have.
Typically a Will should consider what you wish to be done with:
- Your home and other property
- Savings
- Shares and other investments
- Your pension or pensions
- Insurance policies
- Any other assets you solely or jointly own
Your Will should make clear:
- Who you wish to benefit from your estate (including any specific gifts)
- Who should look after any children under 18 or other dependants
- Who you wish to handle the administration of your estate i.e. act as your ‘Executors’
How to ensure your Will is valid
For a Will to be valid you must:
- Be aged 18 or over when the Will is created
- Be of sound mind i.e. fully aware of what you are signing and its contents
- Be acting voluntarily and free from pressure by any party
- Make the Will in writing
- Sign the Will in the presence of two witnesses (neither witness nor their partners can be beneficiaries of the Will)
- Have the two witnesses sign the Will in your presence
How mirror Wills work
Mirror Wills allow two people to have identical Wills which mirror each other. They are most commonly used by spouses and civil partners who intend to leave everything to each other.
Mirror Wills typically say that, when one of the partners dies, all of their assets will pass to the survivor. When the remaining partner dies, their assets will be distributed according to the Survivor’s Will, which is a mirror of the deceased partner.
Why choose Tayntons Will writing solicitors?
Tayntons’ Wills solicitors and lawyers have been helping people with all aspects of making Wills for many years. We work with clients in Gloucester and throughout Gloucestershire, including Cheltenham and the Forest of Dean, as well as across the wider UK.
We are Lexcel accredited by the Law Society, recognising our excellent practice management and client care. We are independently regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) ensuring we continually meet the highest legal and professional standards.
Get help making a Will in Gloucester and the surrounding area
Need help creating a Will in Gloucester, Cheltenham, the Forest of Dean or anywhere in Gloucestershire? Please contact us today by calling 0800 158 4147, emailing us at info@tayntons.co.uk or requesting a call back.
