Wills & Probate

Benefits Of Making A Will

You can choose your own Executors – that’s the people who will carry out your wishes and make sure your property goes to whom you intended. Since it is the Executors who have the responsibility for administering the estate, including the distribution of personal effects and the contents of the house and the sale of the house, it is of vital importance that the right person is chosen. If you have no suitable family or friends to act as your Executors, or if you think that it might be useful to appoint someone from outside the family (to avoid the possibility of arguments), then you might wish to appoint a Solicitor either to deal with the whole of the administration of your estate, or else to act jointly with members of your family.You can appoint ‘Guardians’ to look after your children – this is important if you have young children and want to provide appropriate care for them after your death. It is, of course, advisable to consult the prospective guardians as to whether or not they are willing to act.You can choose your own funeral arrangements – e.g. if you have special wishes as to burial or cremation. You can state if you wish to donate any part of your body for medical purposes.You can pay less Inheritance Tax - when advising you about making a Will, Fairbrother & Darlow will collect sufficient information to find out whether Inheritance Tax is likely to be paid upon your death. Careful Will drafting with the help of a solicitor can have a significant impact upon the level of Inheritance Tax which will be paid. It provides an opportunity to assess the position and consider what steps can be taken to minimise the Inheritance Tax liability.Even if you think that your estate would not be very large, you can save your relatives and friends a lot of anxiety following your death by making a Will which sets out your wishes as to the distribution of your estate.