Making A Will Is Good For The Soul

Not making a Will can have an effect on all the family – as shown this weekend when it was revealed that Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, died intestate.

Aretha Franklin, who died last month at the age of 76, did not leave a will. Her four sons and other family members are now left to find out how much she was worth and to divide it up.

The process could take years and is likely to play out in public.

We often find people put off making a Will, for a variety of reasons, or simply have a head in the sand attitude that it will not happen to them:

• I’ll do it another day
• I don’t want to do one yet
• I’m not about to die sometime soon
• My family won’t argue over my estate

“Yet again we see a famous individual dying intestate and leaving millions to be divided up between the family after their death,” said Private Client Solicitor at Pearson.

“In most cases when people die without a Will it can take much longer to sort out the estate, quite why someone who has had cancer for some months and is surrounded by professional people all the time would not get around to making a Will is a mystery, reports say she just didn’t get around to it and that is what we see when families come to us for help when a loved one has died.

“I would always urge people no matter what age to make a simple Will, it’s not expensive and helps your loved one and means on your death your wishes are respected.  In some cases it’s also useful to consider Lasting Powers of Attorney to make life easier for our families as we age and need more help,” added Private Client Solicitor.

For advice or a quick chat on what you might need to consider call us on 0161 785 3500

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Please note that the information and opinions contained in this article are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to provide legal advice. No responsibility for its accuracy or correctness is assumed by Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers Ltd or any of its members or employees. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking, or refraining from taking, any action as a result of this article.

This blog was posted some time ago and its contents may now be out of date. For the latest legal position relating to these issues, get in touch with the author - or make an enquiry now.