Life gets busy but when is a good time to get your Will and LPA sorted?
I’m writing this as I wait for my husband to come out of theatre – he’s having his tonsils out, a pretty routine operation. But in this environment it is giving me some time to consider and reflect upon the fact that we have yet to put in place a Lasting Power-of-Attorney and our Wills are also out of date. As a Wills specialist I have absolutely no excuse for allowing our Wills to be out of date. The reality is though that life gets busy and let’s face it, who at any moment in time wants to consider death and the eventuality of not being around to bring up one’s children.
At work recently I have been conducting an informal survey of people under the age of 45 who have yet to put a Will in place. I have asked them the reason why they have not done their Will. The response is overwhelmingly similar from all parties. Some explained life is just too busy and they have not managed to get round to doing it. Others have mentioned that their family circumstances are complex and they do not know what to do about their Will and so they’ve left it.
Here at Clarke and Son we invite our clients to come in and have an informal chat with us about their Will. This initial meeting is free of charge and its goal is to make the process simpler and make sense of any family complexities or issues, which can be the reason why the wills have not been done earlier. In a similar fashion we can also advise on a Lasting Power-of-Attorney. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, recently mentioned in an interview about the horrors he had seen when he was acting as an air ambulance pilot as so much can happen by accident or unexpectedly in life. We must therefore all try and secure both our own futures and the futures of our family by making sure that the necessary legal documents are put in place. This will then give the right people the correct legal standing to be able to make decisions in the future should the need arise.
You will no doubt have heard the old adage that plumbers always have leaky taps at home as they never get round to fixing their own problems! I, in the meanwhile, must look at my own house and get my own Will updated and Lasting Powers of Attorney put in place. Hopefully by my next blog I will be able to confirm this has been done.
If you would like to arrange an appointment to discuss a Will or LPA please contact our team on 01256 320555 or email mail@clarkeandson.co.uk.
Nia Wharry
Wills & Estate Planning Partner
