Making a will is not just for the well-off who want to pass on expensive property such as a big house or valuable family heirlooms. Making a will is just as much about the small but precious things in life. But if you don't make a will, you'll have no control over where these things go - the state will decide who gets what when you die. This means that your friends, your favourite charities and some of your relatives may get nothing.
Mrs Walker is one person who is determined not to let that happen. As the daughter of one of the few survivors of the Titanic disaster, she has made a will which pays tribute to the people who saved her mother's life. The "unsinkable" Titanic hit an iceberg and began to sink on its maiden voyage to New York on 14 April 1912. Only 704 passengers and crew out of the 2,547 who set sail, survived. Mrs Walker was conceived on the Titanic. Were it not for the rescue boats, she knows that she would not be here today.
As she lives in a rented house Mrs Walker, who is now 84, was not sure whether it was worth making a will, until she realised that the state would deal with the rest of her possessions when she died. Now, under the terms of her will, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will benefit from the proceeds of a sale of her belongings. "I owe my life to a lifeboat, so I'm happy to know that I will be paying a debt of honour to the RNLI" Mrs Walker says.
There are many advantages of going to a solicitor when you make your will. You can ask for advice on your choice of executors, for example, and be sure that your will meets all the legal requirements for it to be valid. Safe storage of your will can be arranged too. And if the value of your possessions is high enough to attract Inheritance Tax your solicitor will discuss ways of distributing your property to lessen your tax burden.
Most importantly, a solicitor will make sure that the people and charities you want to benefit from your will get what you want them to get.
In 1975, Edward Horley instructed his solicitors to buy a lemon with what was left out of his estate after tax. They were to cut it in two and send one half to the Inland Revenue and the other to the tax collector, with the message: "Now squeeze this"!
Ian Flemming, the creator of James Bond, left four friends ¯¿½500 each, with the wish that they should "Spend the same, within twelve months of receipt, on some extravagance".
A woman asked to be buried in a white coffin with brass handles and pink lining, with the slave cylinder and master cylinder from the engine of her Ford Anglia.
A retired Royal Air Force Officer asked for his wife to be given a red rose on her birthday each year.
A will which has been properly prepared by a solicitor is an important part of sensible planning for the future. It's easier than you may think and doesn't cost the earth. In most cases it will be less than the cost of a TV licence. Choose a solicitor you know or someone personally recommended to you. You can look in the Yellow Pages under "Solicitors" or in the Law Society's Regional Directory in your local library or Citizens' Advice Bureau. And remember price is not the only consideration. Choose a solicitor who is approachable and whose advice you feel you understand. Wouldn't you like to make sure that the most important people in your life have something to remember you by? See a solicitor.
Alternatively you can download a free will and fill in the details here here.
Do it before it's too late
