A will is the only way to make sure your money, property, possessions and investments go to the people and causes you care about.

For complete peace of mind every adult, whatever their circumstances, should have a properly prepared will.

If you and your partner aren’t married or in a civil partnership your partner won’t have a right to inherit if you don’t have a will.

How to write a will:

Get an idea of what your estate will be worth by drawing up a list of your assets and debts.

Decide how you want to divide your estate. You should make it absolutely clear what you want to happen to your whole estate. Think about who you want to benefit from your will, whether you wish to give any specific gifts to particular people, where the residue of the estate is to go after paying funeral expenses and taxes and what you want to happen if any of your beneficiaries should die before you.

Choose your executors:

Executors are the people who deal with distributing your estate after you’ve died. Being an executor can involve a lot of work and responsibility, so consider the people you appoint carefully.

Write your will:

You can do this in a number of ways. It’s usually best to get professional advice from a solicitor, a chartered legal executive or a recognised will writer.  You can make your own will but you must make sure that it’s valid. A will is a legal document so it needs to be written and signed correctly. If you decide to make your own will, it’s still best to seek advice first.

Store your will safely:

Leave your will with a solicitor, bank, safely stored at home or with the Probate service, the local probate service can be found through gov.uk. You must also let your executors know where your will is kept.

Review your will:

Circumstances can change so it’s always wise to review your will regularly to make sure that it is up to date and the people you want to benefit from it do so.