You insure your houses, cars and belongings against fire and theft;

You take out life insurance to cover mortgages and loans;

These are either annual or monthly bills you pay all as a matter of course.

Yet almost 4 out of 5 households do nothing to ensure that, should the worst happen, their children will be brought up by the people they trust most.

They do nothing to safeguard their children’s inheritance until they reach a reasonable level of maturity.

Tell me, what’s your excuse?

Here are the Top 7 Excuses for not making a Will

  1. ‘I’ll be dead anyway. Why should I worry?’
  2. ‘I’m superstitious if I make a Will I’ll probably die!’
  3. ‘Everything will go to my family anyway. Let them fight over it!’
  4. ‘I’m too busy to think about it at the moment.’
  5. ‘I’m too young to worry about making a Will.’
  6.  ‘I don’t have anything to leave to anyone!’
  7.  ‘I can’t afford it!’

Let’s find out what these excuses really mean! 

Excuse 1 – ‘I’ll be dead anyway. Why should I worry?’

I once had a gentleman say this to me in front of his wife. She was flabbergasted at her husband’s comment and proceeded to point out to him what a mess he’d leave behind for her and her children to sort out if their Wills were not written.

She also reminded him that perhaps she should take the same attitude as him; of course, she could pass away before him and leave him with a mess to deal with.

This brought him to his senses almost immediately, suddenly realising that it may be him with the big problem.

 

Excuse 2 – ‘I’m superstitious if I make a Will I’ll probably die!’

I have never had a client die as a result of making their Will.

Sadly, we have had clients who made Wills because of terminal illness. These brave souls are to be congratulated for ensuring their affairs are in order for the peace of mind of their families.

There are many thousands of ‘superstitions’ people swear by, from Friday the 13th and walking under a ladder to breaking a mirror, opening an umbrella inside the house, and putting your shoes on the table (that’s just filthy!)

But worrying that making a Will somehow may hasten your death is downright silly.

 

Excuse 3 – ‘Everything will go to my family anyway. Let them fight over it!’

Chances are that the family will fight over your estate if there is no Will in place. Is this what you really want your legacy to be?

Without a Will, uncertainty prevails and leaves the door open for family arguments and possible claims on your estate by people to whom you may not wish to leave anything, not to mention the general confusion amongst the family left behind.

There are ‘Intestacy’ rules that determine who gets your estate if you don’t have a Will – and it might not be who you would want.

Excuse 4 – ‘I’m too busy to think about it at the moment!’

Life is busy! For many, it is just too busy to take care of the most important things.

All it takes is an initial meeting in your home with one of our representatives to collect your information and get the process started.   Our lawyer takes your instructions and prepares your Will, and arranges signing of the documents.

Homevisitwills provides you with a fast and convenient Wills service – which can make a huge difference for you and your family.

 

Excuse 5 – ‘I’m too young to worry about making a Will!’

The youngest client for whom we created a Will was just 18! His parents had set aside money he would inherit at the age of 18, and were insistent he protect both the money and them, in the event of his unlikely early passing.

It is never too early to make a Will. Years ago, servicemen as young as 18 were made to sign a one page Will when they joined the services, in the event they met with an untimely death.

Nowadays, our younger generation are more affluent than in years gone by. Some buy property in their 20s, have children in their teens, amass money from savings, and start a business or inherit one from a relative.

Once a Will is in place, it can be amended to reflect life’s changes as they occur, but it’s never too early to protect your loved ones.

 

Excuse 6 – ‘I don’t have anything to leave to anyone!’

Do you have only few assets and believe that dying without a Will won’t adversely affect your family? Many hardworking people do! Some even joke, “I’m worth more dead than alive”. But think about it –  life insurance, property, superannuation or pension benefits, work-related death benefits, and a possible future inheritance all add up to assets that we cannot physically see or spend right now…yet they are there.

If this is your excuse, please ensure to evaluate what you are worth if you should die before assuming you’re not worth enough to make a Will.

 

Excuse 7 – ‘I can’t afford it!’

During times of extreme financial hardship, making a Will may seem like the last thing to spend money on. But it is worth investigating whether you need one before discounting this altogether.

Finally, it is always best to seek professional advice when preparing a Will document for yourself and your family. Homevisitwills provides fixed price Wills packages to suit your needs, sends a representative to you, at home or at work, for the initial consultation, and has lawyers that specialise in Wills and Estate Planning – providing you with fast and convenient service.