If you have made a will you have peace of mind that your wishes are carried out and the people who you want to benefit do actually receive assets from your estate.

If you do not make a will it can lead to all sorts of problems:

The people who are important to you may face financial difficulties because they can not draw down from your estate as your bank accounts etc could be frozen.

The process of finalising your estate is likely to take much longer and it may also cause distress, anxiety and arguments among your relatives at a very difficult and emotional time.

If you do not make a will it can lead to all sorts of problems. The wrong people may benefit from your estate having a significant impact on those people you love.

Circumstances change and it is important to review your will at least every 3 -5 years to ensure your will continues to reflect your wishes.

Has your estate increased financially?

Have you divorced and remarried?

Are their additional beneficiaries you wish to include or exclude in your will?

It is important to think about what you would want to happen to anything you own if you should die.

Are their nieces and nephews you would wish to inherit or a particular charity that is important to you?

You are never to young to make a will.

Most married couples or people in a civil partnership wrongly assume that everything will go to the surviving partner. This is not always true.

It is important to understand that others may be able to make a claim on your estate such as parents, brothers/sisters.

If you have children from a previous relationship/marriage your children may be able to make a claim on your estate.

You need to be sure that the people you want to benefit WILL benefit when you have died.

A will allows you to express your wishes on who should care for your children if you should die.

It enables you to name guardians for your children.

This is very important if you are single, or you are a father who does not have parental responsibility for children born before December 2003.

Who would manage your finances at home or your business if you suddenly became ill?

Most people think a power of attorney is for someone who is elderly and has lost capacity. This is not true as EVERYONE needs a lasting power of attorney.

We are all busy, people drive for long distances for their employment and more and more individuals are taking up extreme sports.

Accidents can happen to anyone and people can become seriously ill.

It is important to choose someone that you trust to carry on managing your financial affairs if you are unable to do so for your self. (This could be in a temporary or permanent situation.)

A Power of Attorney is similar to a type of insurance.

It is in place and may never need to be used but gives you and your family peace of mind to know that everything is in order should anything happen to you.

The document must be registered with the Office of The Public Guardian.

It is advisable to register the document as soon as possible as the court registration process can take up to 12 weeks.

The person making the lasting power of attorney must have full mental capacity and sadly many people leave it too late.

When considering the Lasting Power of Attorney for Health & Welfare who do you want to make decisions about your health, welfare & treatment.

Would it just be the doctors, or would you want your family to be able to make decisions for you if you were unable to do so for yourself?

A registered lasting power of attorney would allow your family to speak up for you on your behalf.