Hugh James appointed by Principality Building Society to provide new will writing service
18 | 01 | 12
The Principality Building Society have appointed Hugh James
solicitors to provide a new will writing service to their 500,000
members from January 2012 It is urging people to consider the
importance of making a will and the impact that not having one can
have on the lives of those left behind.
A recent EastEnders storyline highlighted the
difficulties faced by the family of Pat Evans (Pam St Clements)
when she passed away without leaving a will. With no knowledge of
her wishes the family have had to plan the funeral not knowing if
it is what she would have wanted.
Barclay Sansom, Insurance and Protection Manager at Principality
Building Society, said: "The recent EastEnders storyline really
highlights the burden that not making prior arrangements can have
on the lives of loved ones left behind. We all want our beloved to
have the send-off that they expressly want but this means that
early preparation is needed to ensure that these wishes are
documented.
"That's just one of the benefits of a written will… When people
die intestate - without a will - there is no choice at all over how
their estate is divided up. In practice this means that your spouse
may get a much lesser proportion than they were expecting and for
people who are not married but living with a partner, the picture
is even bleaker - the surviving partner may not be entitled to
receive anything at all. Many people assume that their wishes will
be carried out because they have discussed it with their family but
unfortunately this is not the case."
Recent research by the website http://www.unbiased.co.uk reveals
that between half and two thirds of adults in England and Wales
have not made a will. The number without a will increases to 60 per
cent of those in their 40s and over three quarters (77 per cent) of
those in their 30s. The young are the most likely not to have a
will in place with 88 per cent under 30 without a will.
The research also highlights the reasons that many of us don’t
have a will; apathy was the most common reason with 43 per cent of
respondents stating they hadn’t got around to it yet. Worries about
the cost involved have put off one in ten people (13 per cent) and
9 per cent of respondents said they didn’t know how to go about
making a will.
Gareth Wisdom, Head of Volume Wills at Hugh James, says “We’ve
already had a very positive response to our new service through the
Principality. It’s a great initiative to encourage people to take
the decision to actually make a will. Many people are put off by
the perception that it’s an expensive and complicated process but
this is a fixed price service and our advisors give clear,
straightforward help and advice.”
Further information:
The full report can be seen on the
unbiased website.
Find out more about the Principality service on the
Estate Planning section of their website.
Contact:
Gareth Wisdom
Head of Volume Wills
E gareth.wisdom@hughjames.com
T 029 2066 0563