Free Wills Month Encourages Over 55s To Make Or Update Wills

Throughout the month of March, people in the UK over the age of 55, will be able to have a simple Will written or updated for free.

Free Wills Month consists of a collective group of charities, including Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation, to offer all people over 55 the opportunity to have a free basic Will written by a participating solicitor in various locations around the UK.

The initiative will hopefully encourage the 25% of UK adults over the age of 55 without a Will, according to The Will writing industry in 2018 report, to confront their responsibilities and ensure their final wishes are carried out.

A recent report by Royal London also found that 31% of respondents that had made a Will had lived through a major life event like marriage or having a child. However, 53% had failed to update their Will following these monumental and life changing events.

The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics from 2015 found that men aged over 55-years are increasingly deciding to marry, with 25,000 remarrying in 2015. When more people are remarrying and creating blended families, it is increasingly important to ensure that a valid Will is in place.

Heather Roberts, Will Disputes Expert at Irwin Mitchell Private Wealth, said: “We often see instances where even if someone has capacity to make a new will after the marriage, they don’t realise that they need to and sometimes are completely unaware their marriage has revoked their previous will.”

Stuart Simpson, Managing Director of Equiniti Benefactor, the bereavement services brand, said: “Free Wills Month is a fantastic initiative that points a spotlight directly onto the problem of end-of-life administration.

“A will, from a high level perspective, is your opportunity to make people aware of your last wishes. Many people think of a will as only including financial requests however, they may also include instructions for your funeral or other final wishes from the deceased. There is risk for those that do not make a will that their wishes will not be carried out and from a financial perspective that their estate may be distributed in a way that the deceased wouldn’t have wanted. Without a will an estate is distributed in accordance with Laws of Intestacy which not only govern who the estate is distributed to but how and can also incur additional costs which reduce the value of the estate.

“The opportunity to have a will drawn up, or updated, free of charge is not one to miss. It can be hugely important in ensuring the wishes of the bereaved are carried out but also in avoiding any potential conflicts or legal wrangles.

“While younger baby-boomers may not see a need for getting a will when later-life appears far off, no one has the ability to see what is around the corner and unfortunately the unexpected can happen at any time.

“We would also encourage them to give a nudge to any parents, elderly relatives or friends they have entering later-life to make them aware of the initiative and give them the chance to get their ship in order if they haven’t started to prepare for bereavement.”

“Inheritance is a tricky conversation to bring up with your loved ones, but this should not stop people tackling these tough matters as they will only become more complex after bereavement or in the case of incapacity.

“Our message is simple. Get advice, get planning and make sure that you are ahead of the game to give you and your loved ones peace of mind that the bereavement process will run smoothly and as per the wishes of the deceased.

“Free Wills Month offers the perfect prompt for people to review and create their end-of-life wishes without that added worry of paying legal fees and charges.”

Will this free service have the desired effect and encourage more people to make a valid Will?