Too young to make a Will?
Have you ever thought that you are too young to make a Will? A study by Unbiased.co.uk shows that 84% of 18-34 year olds, 65% of 34-55 year olds, and 35% of over 55’s do not currently have a Will in place. More than a quarter of people without a Will state that they plan to make one when they “get older.”
There are two main challenges that I face when trying to market this business:
1) Getting people to understand the importance of writing a will
2) Getting people to realise you don’t have to be “old” to need one
Death is a difficult subject, and I can understand why most people, especially young people, don’t want to even think about it, let alone talk about it. Unfortunately it is something that will happen to all of us one day, and most of us don’t know exactly when that will be. I often hear people say that they are simply too young to make a Will, and they “don’t plan to die yet.”
I’m sure that many of us have felt this way at some point in time, but age isn’t always the deciding factor for when our time on this Earth is up. Sometimes people get into accidents or suffer from illnesses or diseases and die unexpectedly, we often don’t think it will happen to us or people we know, but this situation became all too real for someone that I know, and he has kindly allowed me to share his story with you. This is a true story of what happened, only the names have been changed to protect their identities.
The background
John and Nicole were engaged and living together, they had a son who was 18 months old and a 6 week old daughter who lived with them. Nicole was still married to her previous partner, with whom she had a 10 year old daughter and they shared custody. John also had a son from a previous relationship.
What happened
Nicole was 36 years old, 10 days after giving birth to her daughter she suffered from a massive stroke. She was taken to hospital and doctors said she would need an operation to remove part of her skull, to relieve the pressure on her brain. There was a high probability that without this operation Nicole would not survive. The operation was a success and Nicole started rehabilitation. After 4.5 weeks of rehab, Nicole had improved and had started to get some movement back in her leg, and they allowed her to go home. 5 days later Nicole died in John’s arms from a double pulmonary embolism.
What happened next
Nicole had not written a Will, this meant that rules of intestacy applied. As Nicole was worth less than £250,000, her estranged husband would inherit her entire estate, including all monies and possessions. Luckily for John, her estranged husband allowed him to distribute some of Nicole’s jewellery to the children, and he let him plan her funeral. Nicole’s eldest daughter had to move in permanently with her father, and away from her younger siblings, although they do still have some contact.
The Funeral
As Nicole had no Will, she had no funeral wishes written down. John states, that talking about what they wanted to happen if either of them passed away was not a conversation that they had ever had, as it is not exactly “pillow talk.” They also felt that they were too young to make a will. He was left to decide what he thought that she would want. John chose to have her buried, so that he would have a grave to visit. The funeral cost £3,500 of which John had to borrow £1,600 as he couldn’t afford the full amount. Nicole had not put any life insurance in place, so there was no money left for John, but even if she had, without a Will the money from the insurance would have been passed to her estranged husband, and not to her current partner and children.
Present day
John still lives in the same house, with his two youngest children. Nicole’s eldest daughter lives with her biological father. John is unable to work, as he has no one to take care of his two young children, and would need to get a high paying job to afford to cover the costs of childcare alone. His landlord has increased his rent, which is making things even more difficult. John states that he has had very little support from the Government, or from the services that are meant to be in place to support people like him, and so he has had to take care of everything on his own.
The future
John experienced first hand how difficult it was to deal with his partner’s death, as well as plan her funeral at the same time when he didn’t even know what she would have wanted. He has since made sure his family and loved ones know his wishes if something happens to him, as he has learnt the hard way that you can never be too young to have a Will.
What can you do?
The truth is, if you over 18 years of age, you are never to young to make a Will. Writing a Will can help you to protect your loved ones, and secure a future for them. It can also provide you with the opportunity to make your funeral wishes known, so that they don’t have the added stress of guessing what you would want, whilst already going through a very difficult time.
How we can help
We can offer a free consultation, in your own home, at a time convenient to you, to discuss your individual circumstances and help you to protect your family’s future.