No will? there is still an easy way

Mirror  01/11/2006

By JOHN HUSBAND

..and help a good cause.

Have you put off making a will because you don't own enough. Or you imagine your spouse will get everything anyway?

You wouldn't be alone. Two in three people have not bothered with a last testament - but they're making a big mistake.

Without a will there's no guarantee that your money will go to your loved ones. And your nearest and dearest could suffer real hardship as a result.

Yet it costs very little to get the paperwork sorted out and even less this month.

Will Aid, a charity set up to encourage people to leave bequests to good causes, is offering free wills throughout November - in return for a charitable donation.
You can give as much or as little as you like.
It suggests £75 for a simple will, £110 for a "mirror" will for a couple and £40 for a "codicil" - an amendment to an existing will.
If you're still undecided, bear in mind that if you die "intestate" the law decides who gets your fortune.
That could be a disaster for unmarried couples. Your partner may be turfed out of their home while your cash is shared out to distant relatives.

And if you have a wife and children your wife gets only the first £125,000 and only a life interest in half the rest.
That means if your home was in your sole name the children could force her to sell it to pocket their share, leaving her unable to afford a place to live.

And if there are no children a spouse only gets the first £200,000 and half the remainder with the rest going to other relatives.

During a similar campaign by Will Aid last year, 30,000 people donated £570,000 and pledged a further £5.2million of bequests in their wills.

Charities which benefit include the Red Cross, Christian Aid, Help the Aged, NSPCC and Save the Children.
Your donation will make a real difference:

*£40 could feed a family of five in Sudan for two months.
* £75 could train two health professionals to prevent falls in older people.

*£110 could train two heads of household in Indonesia in boatbuilding skills to earn their own livelihoods.
Log on to www.willaid.org.uk or call 0870 606 0239 for participating solicitors in your area.

WILL Aid is endorsed by celebrity supporters who include Annette Crosbie, Graham Norton, Dame Judi Dench and Richard Briers OBE.

(c) 2006 Mirror Group Ltd
Date: 01/11/2006
Publication: Mirror