Wills
A will is how you decide who inherits what, who looks after your children, and who carries out your wishes. Inheritable includes a personal will to help you make a start and keeps everything around it organised. For anything beyond the straightforward, we always recommend getting a proper will drawn up.
Why a will matters
Without a valid will, the law decides who inherits, not you. The intestacy rules follow a fixed order that can leave out the people you would have chosen, including unmarried partners, stepchildren and friends. You also lose the say a will gives you: naming guardians for your children, choosing your executors, leaving specific gifts, and supporting the causes you care about.
A clear will spares your family guesswork and disagreement at a hard time, and it usually makes the estate quicker and cheaper to settle. Our guide What Happens If I Don’t Have a Will? explains what is at stake.
A personal will to get you started
Inheritable includes a personal will you can put together in the app. It is better than having nothing, and a sensible starting point if your situation is straightforward. It is not a replacement for professional advice, though, and we will always point you towards a proper will rather than pretend a basic one fits every case.
When to get a proper will
Most people are better served by a will prepared by a professional, and it matters even more if you own property, run a business, have a blended family, want to set up a trust, or have anything that needs careful wording. A solicitor or a specialist will writer will make sure it is valid, signed and witnessed correctly, and that it does what you actually intend.
You can find one near you in our Services Directory, which lists solicitors, specialist will writers and other trusted providers.
Point your will at your Inheritable account
A will is a formal document. Changing it properly takes time and, ideally, professional help, so it is best kept for the things that rarely change: who your executors are, who inherits the major assets, who cares for your children.
The rest changes all the time: treasured possessions, who you would like small items to go to, online accounts, messages and notes, and the everyday errata that were never meant to sit in a legal document. We recommend including a short clause in your will that refers to your Inheritable account for these fast-changing details. Your will stays stable, the detail stays current, and your executors know exactly where to look.
The kind of thing better kept in Inheritable and referenced from your will:
- Treasured Possessions: who you would like particular belongings to go to, updated whenever you wish.
- Gifts & Donations: smaller gifts and charitable wishes that tend to change over time.
- Digital Vault: the signed will itself, along with deeds and certificates, kept secure and easy to find.
- Afterword Messages: words for the people you love, kept apart from the legal text.
- Notes & Reflections: the context and reasons behind your choices.
- Key Contacts: your solicitor or will writer, ready to be reached.
- Digital Executors: the right people, given the right access at the right time.