I read in the Daily Star Newspaper last week that during Cheryl Cole’s interview with Piers Morgan (which i believe is being shown this Saturday on ITV)  Cheryl explained how she began to make a will in her head as she lay close to death in bed with Malaria. 

So it appears that she must not have had making a will as a top priority either when she married Ashley Cole or now as their divorce looms.  This highlights the point that even someone as famous as Cheryl Cole in her mid 20′s is again overlooking what could have been a real mess for her family if the worst had happened. 

Making a will is very important whatever age, race or income bracket and is genuinely something to consider once you begin to gather assets or when your circumstances change. 

Feel free to download a free copy of my will report

So your divorce is final. You have split everything equally the childcare arrangements are sorted and now you have decided it is time to look at your Last Will & Testament. You want to ensure that your ex cannot get hold of anything that is rightfully yours and the children if any are taken care of if the worst should happen whilst they are minors.

Even if you have had a Will for a number of years and you may just need to make some amendments. With Divorce your Will is not invalid it is just that the many provisions made within the Will would no longer be effective. So if your spouse had been an appointed trustee they would no longer be able to act as the trustee after your death. Also any gifts bequeathed to them would fall back into your estate and be reallocated as to the wishes of your new Will. If however you have not made a new Will it would be as if you had died intestate. Therefore it is advisable to amend or make a new Will as quickly as possible after your divorce.

Firstly be aware that once you have written your Will you can make as many changes as necessary to your Will and you should check your Will every few years to ensure that it is up to date.

Small changes can be made with a Codicil and this is a document that confirms the existing Will but makes an amendment whether that is large or small. Sometimes it maybe more convenient to actual rewrite your Will such as in the case or a remarriage, divorce or large inheritance. In these circumstances the previous Wills and codicils are all revoked. It is also necessary to make sure that any previous Wills have been destroyed and this must be done in such a way as to indicate there was intention to get rid of the Will.

It is always advisable that you seek the advice of a Will adviser whether that be a solicitor or Will writer when making a change to a Will as codicil’s need to be written, signed and witnessed in the correct manner for it to be valid. It is always advisable to have a new Will written by a professional to avoid any issues after your death.

Last night I watched panorama on the BBC and was ashamed at the amount of fees you pay for having your pensions managed by some of the largest financial institutions in the UK. After all the hard work you put into saving and the sacrifices you make to set yourself up in old age it is like robbery to find a portion has been taken by someone you have never even met.

Therefore it got me thinking it is a bit similar to not having made a will. You work hard all your life, taken out a pension, paid your mortgage and have savings in the bank. But you have neglected to make a will and then the state come along and allocate it out as the laws of intestate dictate. So don’t leave it to chance make a will and make sure that noone else gets hold of your money. Ensure that the people you want whether that be family, friends or charity get what you decide.

10 Reasons Why Making A Will Is A Good Idea

Author: Rob Berry-Smith

If you are over 18, you are entitled to make a last will and testament. It may not seem like a priority, but the benefits of doing so are considerable.

Only one third of adults in the UK have a will, with as much as half of the population unlikely to ever get one. To stand apart from the crowd and look after your loved ones in the event of your passing, maybe it’s time to contact a family solicitor to discuss your situation.

Here are 10 reasons why making a will is a good idea.

1. Are you in a long-term committed relationship, but don’t have a will. If so, there is a good chance they could end up with nothing if you were to die.

2. Not having a will could cause friction within your family, as it could lead to expensive delays.

3. If you don’t have a family, but have always thought it would be a nice gesture to leave your estate with a charity or close friend, you need a will to make sure this will happen. Otherwise, it would all go to the government.

4. Have your circumstances changed, such as the arrival of a new child, then having a will means they can be looked after after you’ve gone.

5. If you’ve recently made a significant purchase, like buying a property, then your family could miss out on their share if your will isn’t up to date.

6. If you’ve been divorced, there’s still a chance your former spouse could receive a share of your estate no matter what their new circumstances are.

7. If you already have a will but then get married, the original will then become null and void. Make sure the will you have in place is enforceable.

8. By having a will, if you were to die and leave all your possessions to your spouse or civil partner, they will escape having to pay inheritance tax because they are considered to be an exempt beneficiary.

9. Have you considered who would raise your children in the event of your death and the death of the other parent? Your will can stipulate your request for a friend or family member to be your children’s guardian in your will.

10. A will can help you set up a trust fund for your kids that includes rules to protect the money from youthful irresponsibility.

So, if you don’t have a will or your current will is no longer valid, you need to find a family solicitor that can help you. An experienced wills and probate solicitor can make sure your estate goes exactly where you want it to.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/10-reasons-why-making-a-will-is-a-good-idea-3377235.html

About the Author

Why not visit MaceandJones.co.uk to find out more on why it’s important to write a will? They have specialist inheritance tax solicitors and other friendly family solicitors to help provide you with peace of mind.

Charitable Giving Through Your Will

Author: Liz Strawford

Charitable giving through making a will is a very good idea and so easy to do too. This is your big opportunity to be generous to a charity of your choice, a local charity perhaps, that you have long admired for the good an noble work they do. You don’t have to donate tens of thousands, or even thousands. It needn’t be many hundreds even – just whatever you feel comfortable with.

Perhaps the biggest drawback to doing this, however, is that nagging thought at the back of your mind that says it isn’t fair to your family. They have stuck by you, night and day almost, for many, many years, and when the final moment comes, they are going to find out that you have given a sizeable chunk of your worldly good to a charity.

That’s how most people think, and it’s understandable too, but they are not necessarily seeing the whole picture. Your family could be crippled by inheritance tax on what you leave them in your will. It depend on how much you leave of course, but for many families, the inheritance they thought might help them out becomes a bit of a nightmare in some cases when the tax man puts in his bill.

Charitable giving, on the other hand, can be free of inheritance tax, or can greatly reduce it. It may seem strange, but it could be the case that your charitable giving actually gives your family more than they would have had otherwise. At worst, depending on individual circumstances if course, it could reduce what they have to pay in inheritance tax and ease things for them a lot.

You should of course discuss all this with your solicitor to find out the best way to proceed, but bear in mind that far from taking away from your family, you could be helping them – and helping your favourite charity at the same time. It isn’t often you get to do all that, and get one up on the tax man at the same time! That’s the kind of final gesture that most people would like to make, and it could be the case that you can!

It could also be the case that you have not made your will yet. Don’t leave it too late. Wills are not for old people; anyone of legal age can make a will, and it should be done as early as possible. It can be changed from time to time to reflect your changing circumstances and in this way be kept up to date. Without a will, how can you do any charitable giving through your will?

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/causes-and-organizations-articles/charitable-giving-through-your-will-3331111.html

About the Author

By Liz Strawford for Certainty National Will Register.

Last night my mum came to see me and we were catching up about what’s been going on and she told me some shocking news that her friend’s partner had died suddenly.  So my first question was did he have a will?  Mum is not sure but I told her if she needs some advice come visit my site and download the free report. I do hope that they do otherwise they can have a long drawn out probate process ahead.

Maybe this is the beginning of a new trend with Life Insurers offering Will writing services?  Let’s watch this space.

www.moneyavenue.co.uk/news/wills-writing/legal-amp-general-to-offer-will-writing-services.html

As I was explaining last week I am new to the whole online marketing game and I am learning as I go. So not only am I looking to provide you my audience with information about making a will by I am also on a stepp learning curve about the best way to get that information dissemintaed across the world wide web.  So today one of my objectives was to learn how to link my Blog to my twitter page.  I think I might have done it so lets try and see in a few minutes.  Wish Me Good Luck.

Is it that we believe nothing unexpected will happen before we Make a Will or is it that we can put off today what we can do tomorrow? Or is it that we are all too frightened to discuss what is the inevitable? or is it that making a will is perceived as too expensive.

Whatever it is and often it is a mixture of all these things that after working for a number of years in the Financial Services industry I am still surprised by how many people I talk to who have made NO Will.

I often meet people who take all the precautions to ensure that their family are not left penniless if the inevitable should happen, but have not made a will.  Therefore you risk your estate being allocated by the government in line with the Laws of Intestate.

Most people with young children understand the need for a will but few have invested time and money in making a will.  These parents have considered the life insurance needed if something should happen but not considered consciously what would happen to their young children if both should die.  This is where making a will becomes very important. Could you imagine your young children being taken into care?  By making a will you are able to specify exactly what happens to any estate you have and also who will care for your young children as guardians if something should happen to both parents.   Anyone with Children should make a will.

Making a will is not difficult and there are a number of options open to you including DIY wills, Will Writers & solicitors.

For more information on Making a Will and to receive your free Making a Will report please visit The Will Lady at www.making-a-will.co.uk

Alexandra Knight has worked with the Financial Services industry for the last 10 years.  Alexandra has worked with most of the UK’s leading Financial Institutions including HSBC, LLoydsTSB, Zurich, AXA and Legal & General at both customer and board level.  In her various roles she has aided with relationship building, sales development and customer interaction.  Her current Role is to work with customers when writing life assurance policies into Trust.  Alexandra has also written and published a free Making A Will Report which can be obtained at obtained for free at http://www.making-a-will.co.uk.   You can learn more about writing a will at her Blog located at http://making-a-will.co.uk/blog/

I give permission for anyone to reprint this article, free of charge, providing that the article remains unchanged, and the author’s details are included in the reprint.

Just found a fantastic initiative run by Will Aid in November call Make A Will Month.   Where by you can write your will with 1 of a number of solicitors around the UK who are supporting the 9 charities involved and rather than pay the solicitor a fee you are asked to make a donation to the Will Aid Charities.

There are 9 Will Aid Charities including

Action Aid, British Red Cross, Age UK, NSPCC,Save the Children, SCIAF,Sightsavers, Trocaire

for more information please visit Will Aid