Charities need to communicate effectively with supporters. Over the past couple of decades the charity sector has increased awareness of the importance of gifts in wills. Trends show an increasing number of supporters are leaving gifts in wills – the 2020 figures from Smee & Ford show over £3bn (out of £12bn overall fundraising) came …
Gifts in wills – letting supporters know – online and offline Read More »
Why write a will? These are the six reasons the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners give.
We are delighted to reach the milestone of 400 reviews through Trustpilot. We contact every single customer to ask for feedback. This feedback is visible to other prospective customers, our staff and our directors. By collecting this feedback we are able to motivate our teams, improve our services and see when things have gone well …
Our prices will be rising from 1 May 2021. We continue to innovate to bring our customers the very best peace of mind. Over the past 12 months we have redesigned our site to be more accessible, we have added new machine learning tools and we have expanded our services to Lifetime Updates subscribers. We …
The staff at Make a Will Online would like to welcome our newest member of the team: Will. A new member with a difference. Will is our new and friendly Chat Bot. Using machine learning and input from qualified solicitors and will writers Will is able to answer a variety of questions relating to drafting …
As part of our ongoing efforts to support our partner charities, Make a Will Online are running subsidised training on 14 September 2020 with Richard Radcliffe. Richard Radcliffe has worked as a gifts in wills fundraising consultant (or “Legacy Fundraiser”) for 32 years. During the course of his work he has run focus groups with …
Gifts in Wills – Training with Richard Radcliffe Read More »
The Financial Times’ Money Mentor recently covered video witnessing of wills on 5 September 2020. We have covered this topic and explained when you should consider this and how it can be done. You can read more about this here: https://www.makeawillonline.co.uk/video-conference-execution/ Whilst researching her article, the FT’s Money Mentor spoke with Oliver Asha our senior …
What is a “Statutory Legacy”? “Intestacy” is where you die without a will. If you die intestate the Government rules decide who gets what. A Statutory Legacy is the amount that a spouse or civil partner gets. Previously the Statutory Legacy was £250,000. The Chancellor has announced that this sum will increase in line with …
The period following the death of a loved one is fraught. You need to carry out a number of legal and administrative steps. This adds to the pressure. Failure to do these things promptly and properly could lead to increased strife, cost, and problems at a later date. You should be able to get ample …
Death, Taxes and Admin: what do do when someone dies Read More »
Many of our customers prefer to ensure that inheritance doesn’t go to a child before they’ve “grown up”. Imagine: how long would £1,000, £10,000 or £250,000 last with an 19-year-old kidult? Queue mental images of Justin Beiber in a graffitied Lamborghini, a “The Hangover” style trip to Vegas, or the more prosaic but less explosive …
When is an “adult”? I only want my kids to inherit when they can make good decisions! Read More »
Short answer: probably When you marry, your legal status changes. Marriage automatically cancels (or “revokes”) your existing will (unless it specifically states otherwise). Most wills do not state otherwise, so you should be ready to make a new one as soon as possible after marrying or entering a civil partnership. The months before your wedding …
Making a will is an important piece of life admin. The only way to make sure your wishes are carried out when you die is to make a will. With a will you can: Ensure you look after your spouse and children; Leave a gift to people or charities closest to you, Ensure you split …
Old age and capacity: how to protect your will from challenge Read More »
To carry out the wishes in a will you need to produce the original to the Probate Registry. But: sometimes a will gets lost. What happens if this has happened to a deceased loved one of yours? Someone could have thrown it away in a big clear out. Destroyed in a fire. Hidden in such …
If you are a citizen of the world you’ll have had the opportunity to sample different cultures, environments and languages. You’ll also have dabbled in the legal systems: whether it be getting a property to live in, applying the local rules and conventions on the road or knowing what documents you really shouldn’t leave your …
Home is where the heart is: wills for expats in the UK and abroad… Read More »
In this tragic case John Scarle and Anne Scarle were found dead from hypothermia by police in their home in 2016. Police were alerted to their absence by neighbours and by the time they were found in their home they had been dead for some time (perhaps more than a week). At the time of …
Where there isn't a will, there's a war: the tragic case of John and Anne Scarle. Read More »
In this tragic case John Scarle and Anne Scarle were found dead from hypothermia by police in their home in 2016. Police were alerted to their absence by neighbours and by the time they were found in their home they had been dead for some time (perhaps more than a week). At the time of …
Where there isn’t a will, there’s a war: the tragic case of John and Anne Scarle. Read More »
When you’ve got kids there’s a LOT to do: keep them clean and healthy, keep them on the straight and narrow and preserve your own sanity. The lure of life admin and paperwork may be very easy to resist compared to the new box set on Netflix when 9pm comes around and all is quiet …
Children and gifts in wills: 5 ways to get peace of mind. Read More »
So: you own a pet. What happens to your pet when you die? Well: hopefully he or she will live a long and happy life when you’ve gone. Read on to see how you can make the best arrangements for him or her when you aren’t around. If you make no other arrangements and don’t …
People can get written out of wills for all sorts of reasons. This post will look at some of the better and worse ways of doing it – using the example of the Game of Thrones Tarly family. With a spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen the later series’ of GoT! The bombastic warlord …
What happened when Lord Tarly tried to write Samwell out of his will… Read More »
Research now shows that cohabiting is the fastest growing family type in the UK (here). It affords the companionship of official family structures (marriage/ civil partnership) and the bond is as strong as the love between the partners. As Jodi Mitchell put it: “we don’t need no piece of paper from the city hall”. However …
We’ve researched the most common reasons people update their wills to mark the launch of our “Lifetime Updates” service. You can update your will forever for just £10 per year. Top reasons are: 1. Marriage: It’s more than just “a piece of paper from the City Hall” as Jodi Mitchell puts it. Marriage has wide …
Have you thought about these 5 reasons to update your will? Read More »
There may be trouble ahead… Are you a UK citizen living in Europe, or an EU citizen with assets in the UK? At the time of writing, nobody knows what’s going to happen post Brexit. There are certain things that everyone should do though, Brexit or no Brexit. Ensure you have up-to-date insurance, keep an …
The problem We studied tech trends and access to legal services in the UK. This article examines a task every adult should undertake: making a will. The rise of the internet and legal tech has made it easier than ever to access legal services. However, changing tech trends have it harder to get a “hard …
No Printer, No Problem: wills and old law in a modern era Read More »
Younger people who are single, without children and do not consider themselves to be wealthy often think that there is no reason to make a will. Wills do more than just divvy out your money and “stuff”. Now it’s quicker, cheaper and easier than ever to make a will. These 10 reasons why you should …
You’d be surprised at these 10 reasons why you should make a will in your 20s Read More »
Short answer: probably Divorce or dissolution of civil partnership does not automatically revoke your will like getting married does. If you divorce or dissolve your civil partnership after your will is made, any reference to your former spouse or civil partner will be treated as if he or she had died on the day that …
Do you need a new will when you separate from a partner? Read More »
Gifts in wills are a major source of funding for UK charities, with more than £2 billion passed on by donors each year. But there is a gap between the number of people who say that they would like to leave a legacy to a charity and the number of gifts actually given. Almost a …
More than half of the adults in the UK don’t have a will: leading to family heartbreak, arguments, and extra costs. With new probate fees of up to £6,000 imminent in April 2019 estate planning has never been more important. Legal Tech firm Make a Will Online breaks down barriers for access to top quality …
Legal Tech Experts Set New “Gold Standard” for Affordable Online Wills Read More »
Short answer: probably. Your legal status changes upon marriage and any existing will is automatically cancelled (or “revoked”) unless it specifically states otherwise. Most wills do not state otherwise, so you should be ready to make a new one as soon as possible after marrying or entering a civil partnership. The months before your wedding …
If you have been following the news over the last couple of years, you may be aware that there has been a debate about whether the will writing industry should be regulated, how this regulation would look and whether solicitors actually offer a better service than other will writers. The process received attention after the …
Reflections on the regulation of Will Writing in England and Wales Read More »
You should make a will… but you need to make sure it will be valid once the ring is on your finger! This is because marriage automatically cancels any last will and testament unless that document specifies otherwise. Most wills do not specify otherwise. This means that you will become intestate upon marriage and your …
I am about to get married, should I make a will? Read More »
One thing you may want to consider when storing your will is the option of leaving your login details for online accounts in an informal letter that accompanies the will. It can be a messy and prolonged process for your family to gain access to any online accounts you hold, for example anything stored “in …
Unsurprising news from this year’s Standard Life Wills and Trusts Research Report – only 37% of UK adults have a last will and testament. This sinks to around 10% of people aged 35 to 44 and well below ten percent of people under 35. This means that the majority of UK adults will have no say at all in …
At the end of the will writing process, after you make a secure payment via debit/credit card or PayPal, your will document is emailed to the email address you provided at the start of the will writing process. Along with the document, you will find comprehensive instructions for signing, witnessing and storing your will. The …
In almost all circumstances, a married couple should have two separate wills. There is the option of a “joint will” but in practise these are very rare and are treated as two separate wills by the courts anyway; the will is submitted for probate when the first testator dies and then again for each other …
Because if you don’t make a will, you have no say in how your estate is divided Because the intestacy rules can cause some unpleasant surprises Because managing an estate is slower and more costly without a will Because intestacy makes a hard time even harder for the people that matter most to you Because it costs …
Making a will may not be at the top of your “to do” list, but we firmly believe that it should be. Less than half an hour of your time and a small investment can guarantee your peace of mind and your loved ones’ security in the event that anything should happen to you. Makeawillonline.co.uk …