I am sure you have seen charity adverts for a free Will during certain months of the year. This kind of advertising is misleading in my opinion, as the only way the Will would be free is if you fail to donate to the charity in lieu of payment to the professional who has drafted it for you. So, I suppose you can get a Will for free but only if you withhold your donation to charity! If you do decide to utilise one of these schemes to really be in the spirit of things you should be donating the same amount that you would have been paying the company writing your Will, not just a token gesture.
On this subject I have heard people say that if you take part in one of these schemes that you must put the professional who drafts your Will in as an executor, meaning that when you pass away, they will earn a fee from dealing with the administration of your estate and that this is why they take part. This is not the case- you can put anyone you choose down to be your executor (including a professional) but you should always consider the practicalities e.g. age and location as well as the complexities of your estate. You do not have to accept a professional being named as an executor regardless of how they came to draft your Will. It seems unfair to suggest that the professionals taking part do so for any other reason than that they care- when you consider how many of us have been affected by the things that charities support it isn’t much of a stretch to think that sometimes people like to give back where they can.
However, the same can‘t always be said for banks- if you have a Will that was written by your bank you must check to see who the executor is- if it is your bank you should consider changing this or accept that your estate may end up paying tens of thousands of pounds in administration fees when you pass away.
For more information on writing your Will or arranging a Lasting Power of Attorney please contact me on 01903 821010 or via email emma.wells@nsure.co.uk.
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