This week (23rd – 29th January) is Update Your Will Week, an awareness campaign hosted by Solicitors For the Elderly (SFE) to encourage more people to update their will and ensure their wishes are carried out when they die. This helps minimise disputes – easing distress and costs for your loved ones.

Worryingly, new research commissioned by SFE revealed only 56% of UK adults have updated their will within the last five years, meaning around a half of wills are out of date. It also showed that half of UK adults have experienced a life changing event, such as getting married, divorced, or having a child, since last updating their will.

At Ridley & Hall, we recommend that wills are reviewed and updated every five years, or when a major change occurs that impacts you or your loved ones.

In addition, the research revealed that almost three quarters (70%) of parents in the UK have no legal guardian in place to care for their children in the event of their deaths. According to the research, parents are almost completely unaware of the risks of not identifying a legal guardian in a will; this includes the courts or social services deciding what happens to your children. The research also revealed that only two out of ten parents understand that social services or the courts can step in and decide what happens to your children if you don’t have a will in place. Therefore, Ridley & Hall is keen to raise awareness of the risks involved when a guardian isn’t appointed.

Speak to one of our friendly Wills & Probate team members on our freephone 0800 8 60 62 65 about making changes to an existing will or creating a new one.

Sophie Aldridge – Trainee Solicitor