How to make a Will during lockdown

During this turbulent time, we have all faced a number of challenges to overcome, as a Key Worker one of those challenges might be around your key responsibilities to your family or loved ones. As a promise to our community, we want to give back to our Key Workers and help make this process as easy as possible. Below are some areas when considering making a Will.

4 Reasons why it is so crucial to make a Will.

1. Should you die without a Will then the laws of Intestacy will apply, and you would be surprised as to who will be considered as your beneficiaries. Even if you are a married couple or in a civil partnership and die without a Will, your other half will only inherit up to a threshold of £250,000 after which, other members of you family and extended family will be eligible for a share of the estate as well.
2. Certain rules will prohibit how money, property or possessions are allocated. This can cause distress and even more family anguish.
3. You may be liable to pay more tax on any inheritance and will slow down the process
4. Circumstances change over time, such as, if you have parted with a loved one or remarried making your previous Will invalid.

5 Reasons Why you should use a Solicitor?

1. There are a number of formal requirements to make a Will valid, a solicitor will aid with these areas to make sure your Will is legally binding.
2. Your main residence might not be in the UK and you may require l legal advice on how to handle your Will
3. A business might be involved, and you need to understand what needs to be included or excluded from the business.
4. Your solicitor will keep a copy of your Will safe for legal records
5. You might fail to include all aspects of your estate or financial elements

I am too young to make a Will

Legally you can make a Will from the age of 18, however, the last thing on an 18-year-olds mind is to make a Will. We always recommend creating a Will sooner than later and make sure it is as up to date as soon as possible, in line with your current circumstances. The key element here is to make sure you avoid leaving your family or loved ones to make any difficult decisions.

6 Simple Steps to Making Your Will

It is very simple to make a Will with us, we have a fantastic family legal team to help with making your Will. If you are a Key Worker, we will offer this service free of charge and will cover the following 6 areas:

1. Your personal details
2. Your chosen Executors & Trustees
3. Your chosen 1st level Beneficiaries i.e. wife/husband then children/grandchildren etc.
4. Guardian clause for minors
5. Bequests to Cancer Research UK and any other charities or societies
6. Your choice of dispatch e.g. cremation/burial.

Please contact us on 01246471900 to arrange an appointment or to find out more information, or you can email us at info@buchananco.co.uk. A big thank you to all of our key workers.