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Time To Grow Up, Time To Make A Will

As a general rule of thumb, most people invest most of their time and effort in to things that lead to a better quality of life. We focus on the important things in life - things that make us happy, and for those that don't, pick yourself up and think positive!

But of course life is full of mundane tasks that we have to do in order to sustain our lives as we see fit. We have to pay bills, otherwise we will be cut off from whatever service we owe money to, we have to take care of ourselves and others around us and at some point in our lives we have to grow up, if only a little bit!

If buying a house or even marriage doesn't make you feel even a tiny bit grown up, then what will? Well, you will certainly feel you've reached adulthood when you make a will.

Making a will can be perceived as being a morbid process, having to face the fact that one day you will die, and also the prospect that today could be that day. Please don't stop reading, I promise to pick up the tone of this article, but let's face facts - we all, at some point in our lives will have to make a will, so why wait? After all it is fairly straightforward and not very expensive.

It isn't a particularly unpleasant experience either, it just demands that you divide your loyalties and make sure that you are totally happy with where your estate will go. So what exactly is involved in making a will? Well, in layman's terms a will is a legally binding document which states exactly to whom your estate - every single possession you own - goes to, minus any debt that you owe.

In England and Wales, you must be 18 or over to make a will, whereas in Scotland anyone from the age of 12 and over can make a will, although why you would want to think about anything other than football, climbing trees, eating sweets and grabbing your first kiss at that age is beyond me!

Apart from your estate, a will also gives clear instructions as to other important decisions that will need to be made when you pass away, such as: who your executor (who will administer your will) will be; who will act as guardian of your children; details regarding your funeral or if you would like to donate your body or organs for medical purposes or research.

Seven out of 10 people who die in the UK do not make a will - a staggering fact! This can cause a delay in being able to be laid to rest, and can also incur heavy legal bills if agreements cannot be made between relatives for the distribution of your estate.

An important decision to make is who you want as your executor to be as they will be left with responsibilities when the time comes, such as: having property and valuables professionally valued; funeral arrangements; sorting out debts and outstanding bills; arranging any other finances, including inheritance tax, pension entitlements etc; calling in assets; paying off debts and making sure gifts from the estate go to the right people.

So if you are in a civil relationship, co-habiting, married and/or have children - or if you're extremely wealthy - it really is a necessity to make a will. It's not particularly fun, but it is particularly grown up.

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