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We are often asked questions about making and changing Wills or the process of remembering charities like Age NI in a Will. We thought our readers might like to know the answers to some common queries.
Making a Will is particularly important if you are cohabiting with a partner but are not married to or in a civil partnership with them.
Contrary to what many people think, there is no such thing as a common law wife, husband or civil partner. Under law, even if a couple have lived together for many years and have children, they are not regarded in law as related.
These are the facts: if a cohabitant dies without drawing up a Will, the rules of intestacy mean that the other partner will not receive anything.
Beware of DIY Wills. It is tempting to try and cut the cost of drawing up a Will by buying a kit from a stationer. However, we would advise you to draw up your Will using a solicitor, even though this may incur a fee.
The answer is the value of being able to talk to an expert who can make sure that your wishes are expressed in a way that does not cause problems for your family and friends after your death.
Expert advice is particularly important if you have children aged under 18, if you own a business or if several people who depend on you financially could make a claim on your estate.
Once you have drawn up your Will, you will need to make sure that a close friend or relative knows where it is. Most solicitors will store yourWill for free.
Age NI always recommends that you consult a legally qualified expert, such as a solicitor, when making a Will. Some homemade Wills can be inaccurate or incomplete, missing out important information which means that your wishes won’t be followed. Making a Will need not be expensive and it can ensure peace of mind to know your wishes are safeguarded.
Age NI relies on donations left to us in Wills by our kind supporters. By letting us know about your legacy we can both thank you and ensure that we don’t send you unnecessary information in the future, helping us to reduce costs so we can help even more older people. This information also helps us to plan for the future with confidence that we will have the necessary long-termfunds to support the ever growing needs of our ageing population. If you have left a legacy to Age NI in your Will please return the form on your free Will Changer to let us know.
Whatever you can spare, large or small, will be greatly appreciated. Many people find out their assets, such as their home, can be worth more than they thought. You can specify a sum of money or a particular item of value. Alternatively, a popular option is to leave a percentage of what’s left after you have taken care of other important matters, such as providing for friends and family. Ask your legal adviser formore information or contact us to discuss these options further.
Firstly, thank you! We rely on legacies and we are extremely grateful for your kind support. Your Will should state the details of your legacy, whether it’s a set sum or share of the estate. As a general rule to avoid confusion, a Will should state clearly the full name, address and registered charity number of the charity being remembered.
Our 'Will to Change' magazine explains all about the Will making process and includes a free pull-out Will changer.
Order a free copy by contacting Linda or Elaine at our office, via our contact form, email info@ageni.org or telephone 028 9024 5729.
Set your location to see what Age NI offers in your local area.
More money in your pocket booklet A guide to claiming benefits for people over pension age. (PDF 164KB)
Pension Credit leaflet3 steps to find out if someone you know qualifies for Pension Credit. (PDF 105KB)
Downloads
A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.
PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.
Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have got their computer set up).
Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.
The process is quite straightforward and is free.
PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.
Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.
Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.
Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.
We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:
You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:
You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.
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