For the vast majority of us, to write a will is something we associate with old age, illness or death. In the middle of life, you may feel that it’s far-fetched to even consider the idea of writing a will. But we recommend at least having a basic plan in case something unexpected happens. Here are three important reasons why.
1. You get to decide for yourself
If you don’t write a will, the Inheritance Code comes into force. When you draw up a will, you, as the testator, put all or parts of the Inheritance Code out of play. This way, you decide for yourself, for example, which family member, relative, organization or association receives all or part of your fortune. You can also state conditions in the will if you wish. You do this when, for example, you want something someone inherits to be individual property, for example a large sum of money or a property. Then you ensure that the property is not part of a property division, if the person who inherits divorces in the future.
2. You can make changes whenever you want
A common misunderstanding is that you only write a will once in your life. That you cannot change the content. This is not the case – we often change during life, family relationships change and things happen that affect the original idea of the content of the will. The most important thing is that you destroy the original and enter a wording in the new will that the first will is invalidated.
3. When you write a will, your common-law partner can inherit
Many people believe that common-law partners automatically inherit each other if one of them passes away. But that’s not true because The Cohabitees Act is the basis for common-law partners, while the Marriage Code governs how spouses inherit. The Cohabitees Act doesn’t contain any rules regarding inheritance. That’s why, you and your partner can only inherit from each other through a will.
Let a lawyer help you
A will is easy to write on your own. But if you want help you can let a lawyer draft one for you as well. Our lawyers at Kliently can help you no matter which of these you choose.
