We have outlined a typical appointment and what to expect when making your Will with us.
A lot of clients we have visited recently have commented at the end of our appointment “that wasn’t as bad as I was expecting!”
People put off making their Wills for numerous reasons; some worry that it will be too morbid, some don’t know who they would want to leave their Estate to, many worry that they won’t understand the legal jargon and others just don’t like to think about it. We go out of our way to make sure that our clients feel comfortable, that they understand the whole process and we can chat through their circumstances with them, talking through all available options.
This is a typical appointment with one of our Advisors:
- Get to know you – We love taking the time to get to know our clients whether this is a home visit where we can chat over a cuppa and meet your pets, an office appointment where you can see where we are based and grab a coffee or a virtual appointment with your children in the background. We will discuss your family dynamics and your estate as this will help us to offer the best possible advice.
- Financial information – We will talk through your finances, calculating the value of your Estate. This will allow us to offer you advice on Inheritance Tax.
- Executors – We can help you navigate through making the decision of who to choose to execute your Will, advising what skills would be needed to carry out this important task.
- Guardians – If you have children under the age of 18, who would you like to look after them if you are no longer here? You might know straight away, however you might not. Either way we can talk through your options with you.
- Funeral wishes – Do you have grand plans for your funeral, or have you not given it any thought? Both options are fine, and we will make sure that your wishes are accurately recorded in your Will.
- Specific gifts – Do you have any family heirlooms or sentimental items that you would like to leave to someone? Would you like to leave a gift to a charity close to your heart? Either way, we can ensure that your wishes are reflected in your Will.
- Residue Estate – What would you like to happen to everything that you own? This will be where we can chat about when your young children should inherit or any protective trusts.
- Default beneficiaries – In the event that your residue Estate cannot pass to your chosen beneficiaries, we will always discuss appointing a back-up.
- Additional services – If you have a slightly more complex situation, we may recommend adding a Trust and will chat through the benefits of this. We may also talk through additional services, such as Lasting Power of Attorney, that you may wish to consider. There is never any obligation to add any additional services. We are simply informing you of your choices.
- ID and Terms of Business – In order to start working on your Will, we need to take copies of your ID. We will need to see photographic ID, such as a driving licence or passport as well as proof of address, such as a utility bill or similar dated within the last 3 months. You will also need to sign our Terms of Business, either in person at a home visit or office appointment, or electronically for a remote appointment.
- What happens next – We will explain the next steps now that we have taken instructions for your Will, so that you know every step of the process.
- Questions – There is always plenty of time for you to ask questions, and we encourage it! It is so important that you understand everything when making your Will, there really is no silly question.
And it is as simple as that – a typical appointment and what to expect when making your Will with us.
Most appointments usually last around an hour, depending on the complexities of your situation.
Types of appointments available:
Now that you know our typical appointment and what to expect when making your Will with us we thought we would share the types of appointments we have available for our clients.
We offer daytime, evening and weekend appointments for your convenience – we know life is busy and fitting this in can be difficult.
We provide the following types of appointments:
- home visits
- appointments in our Wymondham office
- remote appointments via Zoom.
If you haven’t yet written a Will, need to write a new one, update a previous one or just have some questions about making your Will, feel free to get in touch; we are always happy to have an informal chat. You can contact us here or call us on 01953 711950.