Where there’s a will there’s a way to help loved ones in the future

It’s inevitable, but hard to talk about

HOW does your to-do list look today? Perhaps you need to remember to phone the bank or send that email to your boss.

Maybe you need to get something for dinner or ring the garage about that weird noise your car is making.

However long – or short – the list is looking, writing a will is probably not high on your list of priorities.

But it’s more important than ever that we make it a priority.

Creating a will ensures that everything you have spent your life working towards will go to the people who matter most to you.

So, what does the daunting task of writing a will entail?

The Evening Telegraph sat down with Rachel Anderson, a solicitor at Thorntons in Dundee, to educate ourselves on the willwriting process.

“A lot of people find it very difficult to think about,” she said.

“We have to approach it in the way that, ultimately, it really does help your family and loved ones and hopefully there’s some comfort in knowing that there

IT is said that there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes.

But if death is so certain, then why is it so difficult for us to discuss?

Talking about dying, death and bereavement brings up emotions that most people would prefer not to think about.

Doesn’t it seem odd that the one thing we all have in common – our inevitable death – is so hard for us to consider?

This week, we’ve spoken to five people who deal with death, in some form, on a daily basis. are fewer steps to take when somebody has a will.

“I think people find it hard to acknowledge that one day they’re not going to be here.

“What’s often hard is when there’s a couple and, in the first instance, if one of them were to die they’d usually leave the estate to the survivor. And when both of them aren’t with us they’d likely leave it to any children.

“But it’s sometimes a thought to say, if any of the children passed away, would you want to pass it onto future generations? That can be tough for people to think about. What I would say, though, is that a lot of people, even if they find it an emotional process, feel a sense of relief that ‘this is now done’ and ‘this has been sorted for my family when the time comes’.”

Rachel, who has been working in the private client department for 18 months, said the job does have an emotional impact on her.

She said: “I do get affected by my job but it’s learning to compartmentalise that. I work with a really great team so we can all chat to each other about difficult situation. I guess having a bit of life experience – with my own family bereavements – helps with this job, allowing me to put myself into their shoes.

“Often when clients come in to see us, they are in a frame of mind where they just want it all to be dealt with. Funnily enough,

The Tele’s Frances Rougvie goes through the will-making process with Rachel Anderson, of Thorntons.