I hope you enjoy today’s collaborative post. As I’ve recently had my first baby so I’ve started to think more about my savings and creating a will. It’s something that’s very new to me and I’m keen to learn as much as I can. Today’s post is in collaboration with Jessica Foreman – she really helps to break things down.
Most people will admit to putting things off that they really don’t want to do from time to time, like emptying the dishwasher, finishing that assignment or visiting those relatives who you’ve just got nothing in common with. But what about the more important things in life that we really shouldn’t be trying to avoid – but all do?
So often, one of the things that we all like to avoid doing as best we can is writing a will. Having a will is super important, but many of us who should already have one, don’t. But why is that? Here are just a few of the most common reasons why people put off writing a will.
I’m too young
This is a common reason why people think they don’t yet need to write a will. But what if the unthinkable happens? If you’re over the age of 18 and own any valuable assets, then you’re not too young to write a will.
It’s too expensive
Writing a will isn’t as expensive as you think and it can be really easy too. Head to a site such as Beyond, where you’ll find a quick, and simple tool that will help you write your will online. It only takes 10 minutes, so what are you waiting for?
It’s a bit morbid
Unfortunately, writing a will means you have to give some thought to the thing that no one really likes to think about. Dying. But, as much as we don’t like to admit it, dying is inevitable and we need to put plans in place to make sure that everything of value to us, and the people who mean the most to us, are taken care of when we’re gone. It’s just one of those things.
I don’t have anything to pass on
You might not think you have any assets, but chances are you’re actually worth more than you think. Even if you’re renting and don’t own a property, you might have assets in the form of savings, jewellery, insurance policies, premium bonds, any other types of cash and much more. Plus, in this day and age, you’re likely to have some form of digital legacy too.
Everything will automatically go to my partner and kids, right?
Some people think that if they never get around to writing their will, it’ll all get sorted out with no problems anyway. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case and leaving no will can often lead to a number of complications as to who inherits what.
If you’re married, everything will automatically go to your surviving partner. However, if you had a long-term partner, but you weren’t married and there’s no will in place, everything will instead go to your next of kin and you risk them being overlooked altogether.
I just haven’t got around to it yet
Perhaps the most common excuse of all, so many people claim that they have every intention to get it sorted once and for all, but claim they just haven’t got the time for it. There’s only so long that you can keep putting something off and we all know it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s time to get organised, get your paperwork together and finally get your will written.