Only around half of UK adults have made a will, according to charity campaign Will Aid.
Murray Beith Murray LLP is a leading Scottish private client law firm.
For 175 years we have specialised in meeting the legal, financial and administrative needs of individuals and families, family trusts, charities and private companies.
Solicitors welcome individuals who require mirror wills with their partner. As the name suggests, terms of mirror wills are identical but in reverse. Such wills usually make provision for everything to pass to the surviving partner. On the second death, the entire estate tends to pass to a third party, commonly their children.
We live in an increasingly technology dependent society as more of our assets are stored, accessed, and managed electronically. It is estimated that 70% of 65-74 year olds are now online. In 2014, as much as 40% of 45-54 year olds regularly used social media, with 22% of those aged 65 or over owning a tablet. This embracement of technology amongst older generations is only likely to increase in future years.
It is often a sense of duty that drives us to make a Will. We feel it is our own responsibility to put our personal affairs in order. For some, it is to avoid this burden falling on our families. For many, it is to take control of the distribution of our estates, to make sure it is shared among the right people, in the right proportions. For others, it is to minimise the potential for conflict after we are gone.