Why You Should Make a Will

The Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister, the Health Secretary and the government's Senior Medical Officer have all come down with the Coronavirus. God knows where it will end, but the death toll is still climbing, so we must assume that we are nowhere near the worst of it yet. So, have you made out your will? I made mine out about three years ago and put the bulk of my savings into one account just to make life easier for my executors. If I can do it so can you, especially now that shit really is hitting the fan. If you don't, then you run the risk of leaving chaos in your wake and I don't believe that any of you want that.

The previous tenant of my housing association flat died in mid-2018. He was only in his late twenties, but it was not unexpected and his health had been poor for many years. I don't know how his estate was managed, but this story is important so that people understand that the Grim Reaper doesn't just visit the elderly: he can tap the shoulder of anyone and at any time. So even if you are a young 'un that is no excuse not to have your affairs in order, especially with this wonderful Chinese import that is going the rounds.

In June of last year, a very good friend of mine died at the relatively early age of 59. His estate should have been simple to manage, being little more than his house, his car, a good collection of books and the household furniture and some limited savings. He also had a good pension and the right to specify to whom he wished it to be paid. Had he bothered to make out a will it would all have been very simple to manage, but he didn't.

I have no idea why, so I take it that he reasoned that he had plenty of time to do everything he wanted in the final years of his life and in his own good time. He wasn't granted that good time, so his widow, from whom he was separated, has probably got it all. The woman he cared for and who he often spoke of bequeathing his pension to will probably have nothing. That is what happens when you put off things until tomorrow and then put them off forever.

Normally, people go to a solicitor to make out a will, but there is a website called Your Will Be Done which I used to create my will, and I reckon that it is ideal especially for simple wills. I paid £25.00 and I can now make whatever changes I want to the will whenever I want.  Luckily, my estate is a very simple one, so I doubt if I will ever want to make changes to the will, copies of which have been given to my two executors. Why did I choose two? Probably because I reckon that executors are like tits and they come better in pairs. Besides, if one of them snuffs it before me then the other should still be upright and mobile to handle my affairs if the need arises before I can appoint a replacement.

At the moment, anyone over 60 can use the Your Will Be Done service free until the Coronavirus crisis had ended. So, you have no excuse, do you?