Absolutely not. Everybody needs a Will to avoid all sorts of problems for your family and loved ones after you have died. It is a sad fact of life that death or serious injury can come at any time to any of us. Therefore, it is vital that we have control over our affairs and we have made sure our wishes will be carried out if we die or become unable to look after ourselves.
You really can’t be too careful or afford to wait for too long – nobody thinks their house will flood, but everyone has house insurance just in case. Why would you not get a Will?
It’s sadly true that not everyone lives to a good old age. If the worst happens earlier in life, and you haven’t made a Will, then your property, possessions, money and even your children may not go where you would wish. The older we get, the more we tend to think about what will happen when we’re gone, but it’s dangerous to leave these things to the last minute. What if by the time you think it’s the right time to make your Will, you are no longer able to do so?
People think Wills are only for older people because ‘older people need to think about these things’. This is true and older people definitely do need a Will, but so do younger people. Younger people may be busy with work, their day-to-day family life, their social life etc and so don’t, or don’t want to, consider what would happen in the worst case scenario. A lot of people put off doing a Will because they think it’s morbid or tempting fate or they simply don’t realise how important they are and don’t think they need one.
However, it is younger people, especially those with young children, who perhaps are most in need of a Will. This is so they can confirm who will care for their children in the event that both parents die when the children are under the age of 18.
A Will is not just to take care of children. Any person with a property, money or any possessions at all needs a Will to detail their wishes on what should happen to these things when they die i.e. to support their partner, parents, siblings or friends, a charity, an organisation etc.
If you don’t make a Will then your estate, no matter how small, will be decided by the rules of intestacy and the final outcome may not be what you intended. For example, if you have a partner and are co-habiting, but you are not married or in a Civil Partnership and your assets are held separately, your partner will not receive anything in the event of your death.
Sadly, we don’t know how long any of us have. Wouldn’t you rather get your affairs in order so you family don’t have to sort them out when you’ve gone?