Are you one of those people who still hasn’t got around to making a will? You’re not alone – more than 60% of the adult population haven’t done so either. But is it really that much of a problem? After all, the government surely has something in place to help your family sort things out if you die without a will, right?
Well, yes, there is provision for such a situation: the division of your estate is governed by the rules of intestacy. If you could imagine a will based on those rules it would go something like this:
To my Family – I leave you all several months, possibly years, of financial hardship and expense, while you go to unnecessary lengths to sort out my affairs.
To my Spouse/Partner – I hereby leave you some (but probably not all) of what I own.
To my Children – I hereby leave you the remainder of my Estate and the authority to enforce the sale of any part of it (including the family home).
To Social Services – If my children are orphaned, I give you the power to choose who shall look after them, including allocating them to foster parents.
To the Tax Man – I hereby leave you all the Tax that I could have avoided and given to my family.
To my Bank and/or Solicitor – I hereby authorise you to charge whatever you feel necessary to sort out the mess that I have left behind (I realise that this could make you one of the major Beneficiaries of my Estate).
To everyone else – I leave you nothing!
This will is obviously a spoof but it does reflect the rules of Intestacy. The absence of a Will can cause problems, heartbreak, financial hardship and unnecessary expense for your family – at the very worst possible time.
GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER – MAKE A WILL!
For more information see our Wills page.