“When we contacted ILAWS, they took it in hand. “They were very good, and explained everything so we understood it. I feel very happy about it. It is
When John Gilmour’s brother passed away, dividing up his estate was problematic as he never had a Will or Power of Attorney in place. John and wife Sheila were keen to prevent this from happening to their family when they are no longer here, so after seeing an article in The Sunday Post, they took the first steps towards securing their daughters’ future.
The couple, from Dundee, contacted ILAWS and immediately were reassured that their Wills and Power of Attorneys would be drawn up by the estate planning experts. Now their three daughters, who are in their fifties, will inherit – but without the will in place this could have easily taken over a year to settle and the girls would have been left with a legal bill of thousands of pounds.
John, 84, explained: “We had no Will and no Power of Attorney in place and, being honest, the reason was just laziness.
“We had been putting it off for years then when my brother died – and had no Will – it took ages to finalise and it went through a long, drawn-out process. In total it cost me around £2,000 to get through it. Everyone should be planning for their future, whether you are married or unmarried, and have children or not.
Here, ILAWS lists the five key reasons why you should organise a Will:
With no Will in place, the law decides who gets what if you die – husbands and wives do not automatically inherit 100% of each other’s estate.
Having a Will makes it easier certainly a weight off our minds.” The couple, who also have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, also organised a Power of Attorney each which means their financial and medical decisions can be taken by a trusted family member if they are no longer able to do so themselves. Sheila has appointed two attorneys – her husband and her eldest daughter; and vice versa for John.
Sheila explained: “It is really important to organise a Power of Attorney because if you have an account and something happens to you they can freeze the account, so your spouse cannot access the funds.
“We assumed I’d just carry on accessing our money, but it doesn’t work like that.” and quicker to divide your estate when you are gone – with no Will it could take up to 18 months, and benefactors will be left with hefty legal fees.
• With a Will, you may be able to prevent your home being taken from you if you go into care.
• If you wish to leave a cash lump sum or a piece of furniture to a specified member of your family, then a Will can help you do this.
• Also remember making a Will is cheaper than you think – it costs as little as £40 to plan for your future.