What to Include in Your Will
Hold on, man. We don’t go anywhere with ‘scary,’ ‘spooky,’ ‘haunted,’ or ‘forbidden’ in the title
From Scooby Doo!
The Hallowe’en season approaches and with it comes pumpkins, cobwebs and Trick or Treat – and that has origins much closer to home than you might think. But one thing that isn’t as scary as you might imagine is getting your Will drafted. So, if you’ve been putting it off because the thought of tackling it is too overwhelming, I promise I’ll make the process painless for you. But you don’t have to take my word for it – check out my reviews here: https://swindonwillwriting.co.uk/will-writing-and-power-of-attourney-reviews/

To help you feel less bewildered at the prospect, what follows is information on what to include in your Will. Some of them are must-haves and some are optional, nice to haves.
The Will must-haves
1. Executors
One of the first things to decide on is your executors. They are the people who’ll carry out the instructions that you lay out in the Will. They have the legal authority to manage your estate after your death. For that reason, it’s crucial that you choose your executors when you draft your Will. An executor can be a family member, a trusted friend or a professional – a solicitor for example. You must be able to trust them with money.
Further, they must be responsible and have the time to do the work entailed in being an executor.
Your executor can also benefit from your Will.

2. Guardians
Appointing a guardian is super important. If you’ve got children under the age of eighteen, then it’s imperative to have legal guardians in place for your children, should you die while they’re still minors.
3. Beneficiaries
At risk of stating the obvious, it’s absolutely vital that your Will makes crystal clear who the beneficiaries of it are. Imagine a worse-case scenario: you’re married with young children – what would happen to your estates if you all died? Yes, I know, it’s a grim and morbid thought. But a necessary one.
So that’s the must-haves dealt with. Now let’s move on to the nice-to-haves.
The optional bits for inclusion in your Will
1. Your funeral wishes
Do consider that laying out your funeral wishes in your Will might prove helpful to your family. It might even stop some arguments breaking out!

2. Personal belongings
If you’re keen, for example, that your daughter gets your jewellery, then a clause in your Will to that effect is a good idea.
3. Legacies
Should you want to leave cash legacies to charities or to individuals then it’s a good idea to add them to your Will.
4. Trusts
If you’re getting your Will drafted by a professional Will writer or solicitor, be aware that they should explore whether it’s appropriate to have a particular trust in your Will. This matters because different trusts will apply to different scenarios – they’re not a one-size fits all. Your adviser will decide which one is the best for your personal circumstances.
5. Inheritance tax
Yet again we’ve got a professional-advice-is-your-friend situation. The advice will show you whether your inheritance tax could be an issue for you – and what your options are to mitigate a large tax bill.

To this end I ask my clients to list all their assets and liabilities so they know what their estates will be worth when they die. Don’t forget life insurance and death-in-service benefits when you draw up your list.
If you’re already thinking about these things and discussing them with the relevant parties, it will make your Will-drafting experience so much easier.
I trust that you’ve found all this helpful. But please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’ve got any questions.
You can call me on 07538946839 or email me at info@swindonwillwriting.co.uk