Making a will is important to make sure that our loved ones are protected when we are gone. Even if you don’t have children, you’ll probably want to be sure that your belongings and things you can leave behind are given to the people who will care about them. I will help you not leave anything out of your will by giving you a list of five things you should include in your will.
- You’ll want to include a declaration that states you are of a legal age, a sound mind, not unduly influenced and revoke all previous wills you have written.
- Include the name of your executor or trustee. This will make sure that your will is legally binding.
- If you have children who are under 18 years of age, you’ll need to appoint a guardian and include their name on your will. This states who will look after your children when you die. Obviously this is a big decision so take some time to think about it properly.
- Provide the details of your heirs/ beneficiaries and assets. This will state who will inherit your money, property and belongings. This is especially important to do if you are not married or you have step-children you would like to leave things to.
- State specific requests either to organisations or people who are not named in the part about heirs and assets. You should also put your wishes for your funeral and whether or not you would like to be cremated.
To make sure that your will is legally binding and includes everything it needs to, it would be good to look for a professional will writing service Cheltenham such as Bees and Co.
Funeral wishes and guardians for children
Many people use their will to set out their funeral wishes. This can cover whether you would like to be buried or cremated, where you would like to be laid to rest, and smaller personal details such as music to be played or photographs of family and loved ones to be displayed. Because a will is not always read before funeral arrangements are made, it is sensible to tell your family about these wishes in advance as well.
If you have children under 18, your will is also the place to say who should care for them. You can name a legal guardian who would step in if the other parent has also died, so the arrangements are clear rather than left to others to decide.
Talk to the person you want to name before you write it down. They need to be willing and able to take on the care of a child, and it is far better to know that now than to leave them facing an unexpected responsibility.