A Will is the building block to any estate plan. Although Wills are often seen as simple documents, their importance should not be underestimated. With the correct advice, a properly drafted Will can prevent the decimation of wealth by protecting against a number of threats, such as divorce, re-marriage, death, bankruptcy, addictive lifestyles of beneficiaries, and even future inheritance tax liabilities.

We all know that we should have a Will, but it is a commonly broadcast statistic that most adults in the UK, circa 60% in fact, don't have a Will...or do they?

In reality, everyone over 18 actually does have a Will, it's just not a Will that they themselves have written. By not writing their own Will, they allow the Government to step in and dictate how their estate should be distributed.

So, on their inevitable demise, their loyal and loving spouse, who they'd want to inherit everything if they'd died yesterday, doesn't get everything, because their Government Will says so.

Maybe they weren't married, but living as "common-law spouses"? The surviving partner gets nothing. Government Wills do not recognise unmarried couples, irrespective of length of relationship or habitation status.

And don't even get me started on what happens to your children if you're unlucky enough to die whilst they are under the age of 18! If no one knows what you would have wanted, the Court will decide on the future of your children, and it may not be what you or your children would have wished.And step-children, the ones raised from being babies, and whom they loved as if they were their own, they get nothing, because the Government Will says so.

So don't let the Government dictate how your estate is distributed. Get in touch and one of our friendly team will be happy to help you.