After many years of people being reluctant to write a Will, there has been a 6% increase in the number of UK residents who have made a Will. Now 45% of the adult population have done so.
The trend of those over 55 making a Will has continued in the report, with 79% of retirees ensuring that they have a Will in place. The need to have such a document is becoming more well-known and this coupled with a greater diversity in providers makes the process that much easier.
However in younger age groups there has been a less noticeable shift. Only 12% of those under 34 have made a Will, with 34% of those between 35 and 54 making a Will in Bristol. Only 26% of parents with children under four have not done so, and 42% of parents with children between twelve and sixteen.
DIY Wills are also on the increase with 3% using a template obtained online and 3% preparing their own using other means. The issue of such documents has been dealt with in previous articles and Rose & Trust of Bristol strongly advise against this for estates of a complex nature. This shift in Will Writing could lead to more contentious probate issues, 1 in 20 people are now living through a dispute in 2018.
People using a solicitor to write their Will is up by 3% to 26% in 2018, and half of potential testators look for a fully regulated firm as a matter of priority. The use of professional Will writing services is also up by 1% with almost two thirds of those seeking to draft a Will being sensitive to price.
The shifts on the whole are encouraging but it still leaves many individuals and the family members left behind with additional work to complete where no legal last Will & testament being prepared.
This concludes an outline of the current changes in Will making across the UK. Rose & Trust of Bristol have considerable Will writing experience and each document is unique to the testator.