{"id":2303,"date":"2019-05-08T11:46:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T10:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willsandprobate.rip\/?page_id=2303"},"modified":"2019-05-08T11:46:36","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T10:46:36","slug":"what-is-a-will","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/simply-wills.com\/what-is-a-will","title":{"rendered":"What Is The Purpose Of A Will?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” lg_spacing=”padding_top:115;padding_bottom:115″ background_image=”1393″ el_id=”section-services” background_position=”center center”][vc_column][tm_heading tag=”h1″ custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text_color=”primary” text=”What Is The Purpose Of A Will?” letter_spacing=”3px” font_size=”lg:36″][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][tm_heading tag=”p” custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”A will is a legal document that sets out what you want to happen to your belongings when you pass away” max_width=”770px” font_size=”lg:20″][tm_spacer size=”lg:10″][tm_heading tag=”div” custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”Making a will is essential if you want to make sure your assets are protected and pass on to those whom you decide, when you pass away. If you have dependants, your will is the place to indicate who you wish to take over the role of primary carer in the event of your death, another essential course of action regarding the one of the most important aspects of will making.” font_size=”lg:18″ max_width=”900px”][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” background_color=”custom” custom_background_color=”#eeeeee” lg_spacing=”padding_top:80;padding_bottom:80″][vc_column][vc_row_inner lg_spacing=”margin_top:-135″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][tm_box_icon style=”7″ align=”center” button_color=”secondary” background_color=”primary” image=”2553″ heading=”Should I Have A Will?” text=”In short \u2018no\u2019 legally you do not need to have a will but that doesn\u2019t mean to say you shouldn\u2019t make one! Everyone should have a will!” button=”url:%2Fdo-i-need-a-will%2F|title:More%20Details||” link=”url:%2Fdo-i-need-a-will%2F|||”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][tm_box_icon style=”7″ align=”center” button_color=”secondary” background_color=”primary” image=”2552″ heading=”The Cost Of Making A Will?” text=”Using a solicitor to write your will is the best way to ensure peace of mind for both you and those you leave behind.” button=”url:%2Fthe-cost-of-making-a-will%2F|title:More%20Details||” link=”url:%2Fthe-cost-of-making-a-will%2F|||”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][tm_box_icon style=”7″ align=”center” button_color=”secondary” background_color=”primary” overlay_background=”primary” overlay_opacity=”80″ image=”2551″ heading=”Inheritance Tax” text=”Inheritance tax is a topic that worries many people. The uncertainty of what will happen to your assets after passing away is a big concern.” button=”url:%2Finheritance-tax-iht%2F|title:More%20Details||” link=”url:%2Finheritance-tax-iht%2F|||”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row lg_spacing=”margin_top:60;margin_bottom:60″][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][tm_heading tag=”h4″ custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”Dealing with a will is something that people tend to put off”][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][tm_heading tag=”p” custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”It\u2019s not a nice thought and it is understandable that you want to keep it at the back of your mind for as long as possible. There are many reasons people give for putting it off: fears of morbidity or the feeling that you don\u2019t really have that much to leave behind are just a couple of reasons that all too many people neglect to write a will.” font_size=”lg:18″][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][tm_heading tag=”p” custom_google_font=”” text=”However, if you pass away without a will, the assets that you own will be out of your (and your family\u2019s) control and your belongings might end up in the possession of someone that you or your family would not have wanted. They could be distributed as decided by a court of law who may have very different ideas as to who should inherit what. This could leave the most important people in your life with nothing. This would mean an expensive and stressful legal battle if they were to recoup the things that they know you wanted them to have.” font_size=”lg:18″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][tm_heading tag=”p” custom_google_font=”” text=”There is no reason for this to be the case in this day and age when in most cases, writing a will is fairly easy to do, taking up very little of your time and being quite a simple process. You are well within your rights to leave anything you own to whoever you like. Your solicitor will advise you on how to set it all out so your wishes are clear and easy to understand after which you can have peace of mind and your loved ones will have no worries when you have gone.” font_size=”lg:18″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces”][vc_column][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” background_color=”primary” gutter=”lg:0″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ background_image=”134″ background_position=”center center” xs_spacing=”padding_top:500″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ background_size=”auto” lg_spacing=”padding_top:80;padding_right:60;padding_bottom:77;padding_left:60″ background_image=”223″ background_position=”right 45px bottom 45px”][tm_heading custom_google_font=”” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text=”How Does a Will Work?” font_size=”lg:36″][tm_spacer size=”lg:26″][tm_heading tag=”p” custom_google_font=”” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text=”When you make a Will, you name the people that you would like to take ownership of your belongings when you die. These people become your Beneficiaries<\/strong>. Anyone can become a beneficiary and you can have as many as you like, distributing amongst them your possessions as you see fit. There are no restrictions as to who you can choose. Some people without families (and some with), leave their assets to charities or other individuals and organisations. We have all heard the stories of a great aunt who fell out with her family and left her fortune to the cats home. And yes, this is allowed too.”][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][tm_heading tag=”p” custom_google_font=”” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text=”You can choose to leave specific percentages of your Estate to a Beneficiary or you can leave specific items to certain people. Certain pieces of jewellery might be sentimental to particular people and your car might be best suited to another. It is entirely up to you who gets what. Although this can only be shared out the way you wish if you have written a will. If you want to leave a particular amount to your grandchildren that you want to be distributed equally, it\u2019s best not<\/strong> to name them all individually. If more grandchildren come along they would not be named in the Will and would not get anything if you don\u2019t get around to updating your will after they are born.”][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” background_color=”primary” gutter=”lg:0″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ background_color=”secondary” background_size=”auto” lg_spacing=”padding_top:80;padding_right:60;padding_bottom:77;padding_left:60″ background_image=”222″ background_position=”right 45px bottom 45px”][tm_spacer size=”lg:26″][tm_heading tag=”div” custom_google_font=”” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text=”When you are writing your will can name one or more Executors<\/strong>. People who act as Executors of your will take control of your affairs and take on the responsibility of distributing your Estate in the ways you have specified in your Will. Executors have quite a drawn out and complicated task, therefore it is important to choose ones that you trust. Executors have a legal responsibility to distribute your Estate in a lawful manner. It is possible for an Executor to be someone who is also named as a Beneficiary.”][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][tm_heading tag=”div” custom_google_font=”” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text=”If you have children, your will is the place to make provisions for them and also lay out who you wish to take over their care when you die. You have the chance to appoint Guardians for any minors you have parental guardianship of and who are under the age of 18. This is the only way of being sure that the person or people you want to take on the role of their primary carer actually gets to do the job. In the case of married parents this is quite straightforward. However, if you are a single parent of have unusual or complicated circumstances, things can get very complicated. It is important that you know your children will be taken care of by the right people after you pass away so be sure to make these provisions now.”][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][tm_heading tag=”div” custom_google_font=”” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text=”As an aside…you can also write in your will about any wishes you have for your funeral when the time comes. Some people specify songs and music they wish to be sent off by. Others specify charities they would like donations to be sent to instead of flowers and some even have stories to be read out on the day. This is a nice idea and takes away some of the hard decisions from your family at an already stressful time.”][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ background_image=”2554″ background_position=”center center” xs_spacing=”padding_top:500″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” overlay_background=”primary” overlay_opacity=”16″ lg_spacing=”padding_top:110;padding_bottom:110″ background_image=”185″][vc_column][vc_row_inner background_color=”custom” lg_spacing=”margin_right:0;margin_left:0;padding_right:70;padding_left:70″ custom_background_color=”#ffffff” sm_spacing=”padding_right:30;padding_left:30″ xs_spacing=”padding_right:15;padding_left:15″][vc_column_inner][tm_spacer size=”lg:85″][tm_heading style=”with-separator-1″ custom_google_font=”” text_transform=”uppercase” align=”center” text_color=”primary” text=”OUR COMMITMENTS” font_size=”lg:14″ letter_spacing=”1px”][tm_spacer size=”lg:25″][tm_heading custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”Trusts” max_width=”470px” font_size=”sm:32;lg:36″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner background_color=”custom” lg_spacing=”margin_right:0;margin_left:0;padding_right:70;padding_bottom:40;padding_left:70″ custom_background_color=”#ffffff” sm_spacing=”padding_right:30;padding_left:30″ xs_spacing=”padding_right:15;padding_left:15″][vc_column_inner][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][vc_column_text]If your Will includes a Trust then, once your will has been executed, the Trustees will \u2018manage\u2019 or take care of the Trust property for however long the Trust lasts. Trusts are usually made when beneficiaries are unable to take care of the property themselves, whether they be children or vulnerable people. Therefore, Trustees have a legal duty to the Trust\u2019s beneficiaries and must act in the beneficiaries\u2019 best interests at all times, often requiring the advice of legal experts.<\/p>\n

Being a Trustee is not a light responsibility by any means. You should ask permission to appoint a person, making sure they agree to their position otherwise they may particularly unwilling or even refuse to act after your death.
\n[\/vc_column_text][tm_spacer size=”lg:20″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner background_color=”custom” lg_spacing=”margin_right:0;margin_left:0;padding_right:70;padding_bottom:40;padding_left:70″ custom_background_color=”#ffffff” sm_spacing=”padding_right:30;padding_left:30″ xs_spacing=”padding_right:15;padding_left:15″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]If you include a trust in your will you can:<\/p>\n