Organising a Will and POA is important. I believe you should look after your future
With no children to handle her financial affairs, Elizabeth Nicholson wants to ensure that her wishes are carried out exactly how she hopes, so she organised a Will and then Power of Attorney.
The 70-year-old from Glasgow first contacted ILAWS a few years ago to make these arrangements and was very impressed with the personal service she received.
So, when it was time to update her Will and Power of Attorney, she went back to ILAWS. Miss Nicholson felt she wanted two different people to act as executor and attorney (she has previously named the same person).
And, when she contacted ILAWS, the team there was more than happy to make these important legally-binding changes for their client.
Elizabeth, who worked for Strathclyde Police as a Force Support Officer for 30 years, said: “I was recommended to ILAWS about five or six years ago.
“I met Tony Marchi at the ILAWS office in Glasgow and arranged my Will and Power of Attorney. I thought they were very good, so I went back to them when I decided to change my Will and POA at the start of this year.
“This time I spoke to George and Marcus and, like Tony, they were both very good at their job. I did my Will first and it came back within a week and now I am waiting for my Power of Attorney to be registered [with the Office of Public Guardian].”
Both a Will and a POA are flexible, although legally-binding, as they can be altered as and when your personal circumstances change.
Of course, as she lives a fit and active lifestyle, and counts ballroom dancing and keep fit amongst her hobbies, Elizabeth is showing no signs of slowing down in her seventies – but she is still prepared when the inevitable – or the unexpected – happens.
She said: “I feel more relieved because I am not getting any younger and I have no children, so I wanted the money to go where I planned.
“I think organising a Will and Power of Attorney is a very important thing to do. I believe you should look after your future.”
Besides finalising her Will and POA, Elizabeth has gone a few steps further than most to plan for her future by arranging (and paying for) her own funeral, and even selecting the songs she wants sung. The 70-year-old has written all her instructions down in the event of her passing.
She added: “I have always been of that mind.
“I feel it is worth getting it all done. Now it is all there for someone else to deal with.
“If you don’t have a Will or Power of Attorney, I would urge you to do it because we should think of the people we leave behind. It is a big job to be an executor or attorney but they are necessary – we have an opportunity to put plans in place.
“Now my brother is my attorney, he will ensure that, whatever state I am in, I will be looked after, especially if I have to be put into a care home. He will deal with the financial side and will choose what is best for me. That gives me peace of mind.”
And she has no hesitation in recommending ILAWS to anyone who is considering writing a Will or arranging a POA, she added: “ILAWS staff were very nice. They were very good over the phone and informative, explaining anything I was unsure of. I’d recommend them to anyone. In fact, I already have told a friend about them and she is going to contact them.”