Meet Sophie - Sophie Watson, Director CWSE Ltd – Estate Planning Specialists. She explains the importance of writing a will ...
Do you have a will? Is it something on your to do list that you never quite get around to? If you’re honest, does it make you feel a bit guilty, unsettled, or even slightly embarrassed, because you feel it’s something you ‘should’ have done ages ago?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, I want you to know you’re like almost everyone who comes to speak to me about making their will. And I want you to know there’s no reason to feel bad, that making your will is easier than you think, especially with the right support, and that it will be such a weight off your mind when you’ve done it.
If you’re one of those people who thinks they don’t need a will, or you think you don’t own enough to make having one necessary, you’ll probably be surprised about the many ways having a will can benefit and protect your loved ones.
We support Havens Hospices because we share their vision of making every day of life count for people in Essex – and, like the team at Havens Hospices, we know that having your affairs in order helps you and your loved ones to do that.
So we are offering a FREE consultation to anyone who supports Havens Hospices.
You can book your consultation here or, if you need more information, please call us on 01277 600966 or email us at info@countrywide-se.com quoting: ‘The Elephant in the Room’.
We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
Proudly supporting Havens Hospices
Offering a complete, credible and professional Estate Planning service, providing peace of mind for the present and future.
1. If you and your partner are not married, and you have not included them in your will, they will not receive anything when you die and there may be higher tax liabilities. Lots of people don’t realise this is still the case even of you cohabit with your partner and you have done for years.
2. If you are married but you have not made a will, only the first £322,000 of your estate will pass to your spouse. The rest of your estate will be divided up according to ‘the rules of intestacy’ and this can result in those you wish to benefit from your will not receiving what you would like them too, and other family members benefiting instead.
3. Nominating Godparents for your child or children is not the same thing as making legal guardianship arrangements for them, in the event of your death. If you do not specify guardianship arrangements for your children in your will, and you die before they reach adulthood, the courts decide who their legal guardians will be. They make their decision based on their evaluation of what is in your child or children’s best interests – and you might not agree with that decision.
‘I only made my will last year when my daughter was already ten. Before I did it, I always felt unsettled, that I was not taking responsibility for the choices I had the power to make. Not getting it sorted out created a lot of unnecessary anxiety for me, so it’s silly I didn’t do it sooner.
I think people shy away from it because it requires you to think about your death, and we’d all rather think it’s not going to happen to us. But the clock only turns one way.
Once it was done, I felt relieved and free that I had taken my responsibility for that part of my legacy. My loved ones are now taken care of, and I know there will be no mess left behind once I die. I feel I’ve made my last will one that will be cherished and remembered for the right reasons.’
Ursula, 52
For many people, making their will is a bit like the elephant in the room. They know they should consider it, but it can feel too hard to talk about. That’s completely understandable, because none of us really wants to think about our own death.
But I also know most people without wills often tell me they have felt guilty, or anxious, for years about not having made a will, and how relieved they feel when they have done it. For many people, once they have done it, they never have to think about it again, unless their circumstances change.
So, for your sake, and for the sake of your loved ones, please don’t leave it until it’s too late to make your will. Give yourself the peace of mind that you have looked after the people you care about by making your wishes clear and give them a lasting reminder of how much they matter to you.
Just book your completely FREE, no obligation, consultation today, and one of our consultants can answer your questions and explain the best options for your personal situation. We always take time and care to match you with an estate planning consultant who will be best placed to help you, so your consultation is as helpful as possible.
Our consultants are all happy to meet with you in our office in Brentwood, Essex, in your home, or via Zoom – whichever is most comfortable and convenient for you.
‘I felt very guilty before I’d sorted my will out, because my will really isn’t about me. It’s about looking after my partner and my children.
Whenever I thought about it, in all honesty, I felt a bit terrified, and I probably naive and silly as well that I never set one up in the first place when my first child was born.
When I learned it could be a more drawn-out process than it needs to be for any money to be available to my kids and my partner if anything happened to me, and that my partner might not even be able to keep our home, I realised I needed to get it sorted ASAP.
It’s such a simple thing to get done, really, but I kept putting it off and letting day to day life get in the way. And yet we shouldn’t because it’s so important.’
Paul, 40
We have helped thousands of people to make their wills, and almost everyone who comes to us has questions they feel are ‘silly’, circumstances they thought might be unusual, or feeling embarrassed that they hadn’t made a will sooner, and many not realising how much their loved ones stood to miss out without them having a will in place.
I want to reassure you that:
We never think people’s questions are silly. People often say this to us when their questions are completely sensible. It’s important that you ask questions, so you understand your choices, and you can make the ones that are right for you and your loved ones.
We really have seen every combination of circumstances you can think of. Because we specialise in helping people put wills in place that protect the people they care most about, we have come across almost every situation you can possibly imagine, and some more you might not have imagined. We always do our best to match you to a consultant with the best expertise for your circumstances – so we will spend some time working with you to get that right even before we make your appointment.
There is no need to feel embarrassed. In fact, I think I you should feel good, and proud, because you are taking positive steps to becoming more informed, and towards making your will, so your loved ones will be looked after.
You will be so pleased you did it. People often tell us they feel so much better for having made their will – less worried about the future, and less guilty. It is often a huge relief to get your will in place, because it gives you the peace of mind that your wishes are clear, and your loved ones will be looked after, whatever happens.
We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
Sophie
Like most people, you have either already looked after your loved ones in your will, or you plan to. But you might not have considered that including a gift in your will to your local hospice is another way of ensuring the people who matter to you receive the care and support they need through their life’s journey. And you may not realise that gifts in wills don’t have to be large to be important.
If you already have a will and are considering adding a gift to Havens Hospices in your will, you can find more information about how to do that on our gifts in wills page.
