Trish Watkins, Senior Associate at Goughs, explains the importance to parents in the South West of making a will
Did you know that eight of out ten parents in the South West have no legal guardian in place to care for their children in the event of their deaths?
Did you know that social services or the courts can step in to decide what happens to your children, should you die without having a will in place?
Research commissioned by SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) shows that a staggering eight out of ten parents in the South West have no legal plans to ensure their children are looked after, should the parents die. In fact, parents in the South West are the least prepared in the whole of the UK.
82% of parents in the South West have not appointed legal guardians for their children, as compared to the national average of 70%.
According to the research, parents in the region are completely unaware of the risks of not identifying a legal guardian in a will. Only one fifth (17% of) parents in the South West understand that social services or the courts can step in to decide what happens to your children if you don’t have a will in place.
Goughs Solicitors are proud to closely support the work of SFE, a membership body of over 1,700 UK solicitors specialised in advising people planning for the future. This year’s Update Your Will Week (23rd – 29th January) focusses on aiming at getting the message across to parents that wills are essential.
Trish Watkins, Senior Associate at Goughs, explains, “It’s shocking how many parents don’t have a will in place or haven’t appointed a legal guardian for their children. Godparents don’t count as legal guardians, so to avoid the risk of the courts deciding what happens to your children, you really should make a will and update it every five years.”
The new research commissioned by SFE and carried out by Censuswide also reveals:
- Only 48% of respondents in the South West have updated their will within the last five years, meaning over half of the wills in the region are out of date.
- Around a third of respondents in the South West (30%) have experienced a life changing event, such as getting married, divorced or having a child, since they last updated their will.
- One in ten respondents in the South West (11%) know someone who has been affected by something going wrong with a will.
If you fit one of these groups then don’t hesitate to book an appointment with a qualified lawyer as soon as possible. You never know what is round the corner.
To find out more about wills and to book your appointment with an expert, head to goughs.co.uk