The Teaco Guidance on Making a Will

Benjamin Franklin once said: “There is nothing so certain in this life as death and taxes”.

The first is absolutely certain and there is not a lot that any of us can do about it!
Death is something most of us would rather not think about and maybe this is why over sixty per-cent of the population of this country depart this life without ever having made a Will.
The second is also certain, but we do have the opportunity to minimise the various taxes which our government imposes upon us.
In this context we are talking about income tax, capital gains tax but, more importantly, Inheritance Tax (“IHT”)

There several myths and misunderstandings about Wills generally:

“It is too expensive”; “everything I own will go automatically to my spouse/civil partner or my children” or “my assets are too insignificant”. These are common misconceptions. There are many good reasons for making a Will.

To begin with, any person dying without a Will is deemed to have died “intestate”. There are certain rules laid down by law as to what would happen in those circumstances and those rules are, in most cases, what you would have not wanted, or intended. We refer you to the intestacy graph included in this brochure.

A death in the family is a very stressful event and can cause much anxiety among your loved ones. The only certain way to ensure that your assets are distributed or inherited as you desire is by making a Will to give your loved ones peace of mind.

In the event of your unfortunate demise, without having made a Will, the “Intestacy Rules” apply in a rather arbitrary manner, particularly if you do not have any children.
This may lead to your loving and faithful spouse or partner having to share your estate with “unseemly” relatives whom you may, certainly, never intend to benefit.

Have your Will drafted by a properly qualified professional.
Can you afford not to make one?