Christmas and New Year are just around the corner and I am sure that many of you reading this blog will make resolutions (as I will) that are ultimately doomed to fail.
They typically start with good intentions but given that they normally require all year round effort, it is difficult to maintain the necessary motivation. Further, resolutions typically end up costing you money which could have been put to better use elsewhere. For example, the classic gym membership costs around £50 a month. If it is used for 3 months (or maybe 4 at a push) and then never visited again, wasting the rest of the year’s membership payments will cost you £450.
However one New Year’s resolution that you will categorically never regret is instructing a solicitor to draft your will. Around 66% of the population do not have a will. Not having one means that you have no control over to whom your estate passes to or who is appointed to administer it. Further, not leaving a will could lead to you paying more tax and cause more stress to your bereaved loved ones.
In my experience, people are completely unaware of the dangers of not leaving a will. In particular, unmarried couples who could, potentially, be hardest hit by not leaving a will. More needs to be done to educate people about the importance of leaving a valid will and the negative effects of not leaving one. The cost of making a will at Battrick Clark is £250 plus VAT. Although arguably not an insubstantial cost, it is one of the most important documents that you will ever have and it is a bargain compared to that wasted gym membership!
To all our readers, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – now make a will!
Ryan Morgan
Solicitor