Ever since I was told I was going to die sooner than planned and since I was diagnosed with incurable cancer, I have avoided making big purchases.
I didn’t buy the music system I’ve been considering since 2021, nor did I press “buy” on a dinner plate set in a slightly different size than the one I already have.
Statistics show that only 11 percent of people with my type of bowel cancer survive beyond five years, so I try to make life as easy as possible for people after I die by reducing the number of things they have to take to the charity shop or put up on eBay.
Another thing I have done that will make my life a lot easier after I leave this planet is to write a will.
I thought about it for several years, but at the time I didn’t want to think about it because it was too much like accepting my death.
Today I consider it an essential that everyone should have because it makes things much easier for everyone who is left behind.
If you die without leaving a will, it is considered intestate and only your spouse or civil partner and close relatives can inherit. You are then relying on them to think about what you would have wanted, rather than having all your wishes clearly written down in a legal document.
I had a will years ago, but it was not legally binding in any way as it was just a piece of paper where I wrote down what I wanted to happen to my (not very much) money and some of my possessions.
The version I have now is actually legal and much simpler than the original version.
I chose Amphlett Lissimore in Crystal Palace, south London, and not just because I wanted to try out the ice cream parlour nearby (unfortunately the parlour was closed both times I went to the solicitor to make my will).
The main reasons for my choice were that it is good to use a reputable company that is unlikely to go bust and that the Bromley branch was very good when I used it for conveyancing a few years ago.
Some online companies allow you to discuss your will via video call and have your documents sent to you by mail.
Some of these are probably fine, but I would have been concerned about whether the trustee I chose would still be around in the years to come, whether the will would be legally binding, and whether I would be able to easily change my wishes if my circumstances changed in the future.
As Amphlett Lissimore is a large London firm, I know that my executors will be able to visit the offices to arrange my affairs and hopefully they will be able to grab an ice cream at the local shop if it is still open.
So my best suggestion is to ask friends and family for recommendations on which company has prepared their wills. And if they don’t have one, that might spark a conversation about whether they need one.
Another reason to choose a law firm you trust is that the lawyers will help you solve problems you hadn’t thought of.
For me, it was the piece of art in my home that I wanted to leave to my doctors, both of whom helped me get through difficult times. I consider it a survival piece that might increase in value one day.
My plan was to divide the assets between my two primary care physicians until my lawyer pointed out that it was not possible to divide one piece of art into two.
If I had decided to leave it in the practice, I would have run the risk of it hanging on the wall or ending up in the closet after the practice’s work.
It’s a piece of art that one friend describes as “white girl Ibiza trash art,” so there’s a good chance that neither of them would like it or want it anyway.
The solution I found with the help of my lawyer is much easier for the executors to handle and better for my family doctors.
But what it is will remain a secret until after my death, because only I, my lawyer and Smarties know the answer.
