So what happens if you don’t have a will written? Well, when you don’t have a will, it’s really annoying because we have to default back to the legal order of next of kin. And a lot of people think I’m the eldest child, therefore I’m in charge, but that’s not how the legal order works. Children all have equal say if they’re over the age of consent, which is 21 usually.
There are some legal ramifications around finance which give slightly different ages. But the key thing is if you don’t have a will, it can be a bit of a nightmare because every child thinks you want something different because they are looking at their own grief. And I think if there’s no will from a financial perspective, there’s some real issues too.
It then has to go to probate. It can be tied up in the courts for a long time. So just write a will.
It’s really easy. If you don’t have a lawyer, there’s some will packs you can get online. It’s just so much simpler when there’s a will.
And I think the key thing in a will is to make sure when you are thinking about your will itself is who you’re going to appoint as your executor. And appointing the executor is the person who really is in charge.
