A Will is a legal document that comes into effect on your death. In it you can set out both who will benefit from the estate, and who shouldn’t, as well as who should administer your estate and personal affairs. Making a Will speeds up the administration process and can ultimately reduce the costs, by making provision for an unmarried partner, helping to make arrangements for the funding of care home fees, setting out your funeral wishes, and looking after the needs of minor children. If you die without making a Will, that is, you die intestate, then a court will determine how the estate should be distributed and this can be both complex and costly.

Ideally everyone over the age of 18 should make a Will. However, having done this it’s important to keep the Will up to date and relevant as your circumstances change over time. What was relevant when you were young won’t necessarily remain as important if you marry, co-habit, divorce or have a family.

If you are considering making a Will or want to update your current Will, then Jones Gough are the local experts for Will writing and estate management in the Stockport and Cheshire area. If you would like any further advice about Wills or estates management, then please contact us on 0161 751 6458.