A well-drafted will should be clear, comprehensive and regularly updated. Here's what to consider including.
Key elements
- Executor: the person who administers your estate. Choose someone organised and trustworthy. You can appoint a professional executor (solicitor or bank) for complex estates.
- Beneficiaries: who receives what. Be specific about percentages or specific items.
- Guardian for children: essential if you have children under 18. Discuss the role with the person before naming them.
- Specific gifts: items with sentimental value that you want to go to particular people.
- Residual estate: what happens to everything not specifically mentioned.
- Digital assets: online accounts, cryptocurrency, digital files.
After writing your will
Store it somewhere safe and tell your executor where it is. Register it with National Will Register or store with your solicitor. Review it after every major life event: marriage, divorce, birth of a child, significant change in assets.
This is general information, not legal advice. Complex estates should involve a solicitor.