My will

[homerbart]

I typed up a will in 1992 and got co-workers to sign it.

Now my brother and 2 nephews are dead I need to update it. Would it be better if I went to a solicitor to get it done. They charge about �80 for a bit of paper.

[Ethel]

You don't need to go to a solicitor unless your wishes are complicated, involving trusts and so on.

There is no reason why you can't copy the wording of your existing will, changing the names of the beneficiaries where appropriate.

Just make sure it is properly signed, dated and witnessed.

It is vitally important that there is no confusion from the wording of the will.

[fredpuli47]

Be careful about the wording of the part where the witnesses sign. This has changed since 1922. At one time it was a common practice to have the witnesses simply sign that they had signed in the presence of the person signing the will. They were witnessing his signing,his 'making' the will. Now the standard wording adds to that that they sign in the presence of each other too. Must say, I'd never realised that old practice until I found that my late father had written his own will using the old standard wording he'd copied from some book . When the named executors submitted the will for probate, the office sent it back with a note saying the intending executors had to find the witnesses to swear that the will had been signed in the presence of all! That was dealt with by the one witness who could be found swearing to that effect. Now, the office may have been being picky but they still insisted. So note that, to avoid a simple mistake.

[MustafaTickl]

To ensure that your Will is valid it must be properly witnessed. You need two witnesses who should be over 18 and preferably neither very old nor hard to trace in case of a later question concerning the validity of your Will. A beneficiary cannot witness your Will and neither can a blind person. Also, you shouldn't use someone as a witness if he or she is married to a beneficiary because they will lose the benefit of their gift although your Will will remain valid. An executor or his or her spouse can be a witness unless he or she is also a beneficiary as can a professional adviser who may charge for his or her services. You must sign your Will in the presence of the two witnesses and they must then both sign in your presence and in the presence of each other as witnesses to your signature. Neither you nor any witness should leave the room until your Will is both signed and witnessed and you should all see each other sign. Your signature must be your usual signature in ink and dated. Ensure that the witnesses complete their names, addresses and occupations in the space provided. Another important matter is that if your Will is stapled it must never be unstapled.

[homerbart]

thanks everybody - could I ask one more question.

Since as somebody mentioned there - I would like to get somebody "young" - could two brothers sign it. thanks they live at the same address - would that matter

[Ethel]

Two people at the same address can be valid witnesses, related or not.