Worried about wills?
Making a will is much easier and cheaper than some people think. Many who would like to give legacies to charity are put off by unfounded fears. Are any of these familiar?
- I’m not making a will because it costs a fortune.
- The cost of making a straightforward will through a solicitor is around £100,
however, the job can be done for less (See Low
cost will making)
- I’m worried that my solicitor will talk a lot of legal gobbledegook.
- Fear not. Solicitors use good old plain English to explain wills these
days.
- I don't like the thought of going into a solicitor's office.
- Many solicitors will be pleased to visit you instead, or you can find
a local one through www.solicitors-on-line.com and
make a will with her online.
- What's the use? I'm not old and they wouldn't get my legacy for years.
- Most charities are engaged in long term work, some being over 100 years
old. Many legacies they receive today were put in wills over 30 years
ago. Your favourite charities will, I'm sure, wish you a long and
happy life, and a lengthy wait for your legacy is no problem at all.
- My children come first, so I can't afford to leave a legacy to charity.
- No charity expects you to neglect your family in favour of them. All they ask is that, after provision for your nearest and dearest, you spare just a few percent to support their work. For example, I have left my children 95% of whatever I own when I die, knowing that the other 5% will work wonders through my favourite charities.
I recommend consulting a solicitor when making a will.
Wise's Whimsical Wills
In C18 Russia, a wealthy man left his fortune to his nieces on condition
that they work for a year as laundry maids. This the nieces duly did, and
received nearly one thousand proposals of marriage between them.