Appointing legal guardians
If you have children under 18 or are a pet owner, you’ll be able to appoint legal guardians in your will. This allows you to decide who would take care of them if you weren’t around. If you were to die unexpectedly before writing a will, this decision would be left up to the courts.
Though it’s very unlikely that your guardians will ever be called upon, it’s still important to choose the right person (or people) for the job. Grandparents, aunties and uncles, and close friends are often popular choices, but you should discuss this with them first before including them in your will.
Making an inventory of your estate
Millions of people in the UK put off writing their will because they’re worried they’ll need to track down paperwork for all their accounts, property and savings – but this isn’t actually the case.
When you make a will with Will Help, you’ll be asked to create a basic inventory of your estate. For this, you’ll simply make a note of each of your assets – e.g. ‘Santander Current Account’. This is so your executors know where to look when they’re dealing with your estate. You won’t be asked to give details of account numbers or the value of each account, so this part of the process should only take a few minutes.
Choosing your executors
Another thing you’ll want to think about before writing a will is who you want to choose as your executors. These are the people responsible for following the wishes set out in your will.
The first person most people think of is their partner, but this could be an unwelcome burden at a time that’s already so difficult for them. Other common choices for executors are adult children, siblings, close friends and professional executor services.
The most important thing to consider when choosing executors for your will is whether they’re confident dealing with the paperwork and finances involved.
Should I leave funeral wishes in my will?
Our online will writing service lets you include funeral wishes in your will. This step is completely optional, but it can really help to prevent family disputes over your funeral when you’re gone.
You can choose your final resting place, set out what kind of funeral you want, and you can even select songs for the ceremony. And while these wishes aren’t legally binding like other parts of your will, they can really help your family know that they’re making the right decisions when you’re gone.
