In a study by IRN Legal Reports and reported today in Today’s Wills and Probate, reports that only 35% of UK adults has made a will. The percentage is even lower in Yorkshire, where only 28% of adults have made a will. Perhaps as to be expected, it seems that the older we get, the more likely we are to make a will. 61% of adults aged 65 and over have made a will, but only 16% of those aged between 35 and 44.
Andrew Milburn, Partner, and Head of Wills and Probate says, “These figures never fail to surprise me. Perhaps the most concerning demographic are those ages where lots of people have young children (only 10% of those between 25 and 34 have a will and only 16% of those between 35 and 44). Having a will in place if you have young children is so important but the message just doesn’t seem to be getting across.”
| Why are people not making a will?
According to the study, 45% of those who had not made a will said they had “just not got round to it yet”. Just over a fifth of people said that they feel they are too young to make a will, or that they feel they don’t have any assets to pass on when they die.
Andrew says, “It doesn’t surprise me that the number one reason given for not having a will is ‘just not got round to it yet’. I don’t think people realise how easy making a will is, particularly now that most of us are happy using video calls. One thing I hear time and time again from clients after they have completed their will is how glad they are to have finally got round to it. It’s always a good one to cross of the to-do list.”
| Making life easier for you
We understand that life is busy, and it is easy to keep moving ‘make my will’ to the end of the to-do list. So we are working to make the process easier for you by offering:
- An online booking system for all will appointments. Just choose a time and date convenient for you.
- We can have your will meeting in one of our Leeds offices (city centre or Moortown), or by video call. So we can make your will wherever you’re based. Even if you’re local to our offices, if it’s easier for you to call from your home or your office, that’s fine by us!
- Out of hours appointments. We offer appointments until 8pm on Wednesdays and on Saturdays until 1pm.
Call us today on 0800 988 7756 or book your appointment online.
