10 May Wills for Young People and Informal Wills
We have just acted in a tragic matter which raised two issues. The first as to the need to make a Will regardless of how old you are. The second as to the need to ensure that the Will has been properly prepared. As to the first, our client's daughter was an athlete who had received many awards locally and internationally. It was a devastating blow to the family when at the age of 33, she died in her sleep. No one could have predicted that event. Unfortunately, probably due to youthful exuberance and a feeling of invincibility, no proper Will had been prepared. One therefore led to the inevitable conclusion, that despite one's youth, it is essential to have a Will prepared along with the associated documents such as an Enduring Power of Attorney and an Advance Care Directive. The second issue which arose was in relation to the informal Will. That had a date on it. It contained two paragraphs. In the first, in very simple terms it indicated that 70% of the Estate was to go to the will maker's mother and 30% to her father. In the second paragraph, it indicated that should the mother predecease the will...
