Member Article

65 per cent of Britons have no Will

People across the North East are encouraged to make a Will this week as part of a five-day campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of making preparations for your estate after death. National Will Week is launched today as a recent survey by Lawpack reveals that 65 per cent of UK adults have not made a Will. 40 per cent said they felt that they were too young or that there was no need to write one in the near future. One in ten said that it had never occurred to them, whilst 26 per cent felt they had nothing to leave.

Thomas Coles, Managing Director of Lawpack Publishing, organiser of National Will Week said: “National Will Week is now in its 12th year. We are delighted to have received parliamentary cross-party support and we urgently ask that people wake up to the importance of making a Will. It isn’t difficult or expensive but not doing so can cause unnecessary strife and stress for family and loved ones during a very difficult time.”

The campaign says that the main reasons for making a Will are: if you die without making a Will, the assets you have built up during your lifetime may not be distributed according to your wishes; if you are unmarried and have children, your children may be looked after by someone you yourself may not have chosen; your bereaved spouse, children and relatives will be subject to additional and unnecessary strain at a very difficult time. Discussions over “who gets what” can disrupt family relationships; and by making a Will, you can give specific gifts to friends, relatives, loved ones and charities.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .