Do I need a will?

Most people know they should have a will. They also have a mental list of reasons it can wait: they're not old enough yet, they don't own much, the family "will just sort it out." I hear these often, and I understand them. But a will isn't really about being old or wealthy. It's about deciding, while you can, what happens to the people and things you care about.

Here's a straightforward way to tell whether you need one.

You almost certainly need a will if…

• You have children under 18. A will is the only place you can name who raises them if you and their other parent both die. Without that, the courts and social services decide, and it may not be who you'd have chosen.
• You own or part-own a home. Property is usually the biggest thing you'll ever pass on, and the rules for who gets it without a will are rigid.
• You're not married to your partner. This is the big one. An unmarried partner inherits nothing under the intestacy rules, however long you've been together and whatever you'd both assumed.
• You have a blended family or stepchildren. Stepchildren you haven't legally adopted inherit nothing automatically, even if you raised them as your own.
• There's someone you'd want to include, or leave out. A friend, a godchild, a charity, or an estranged relative you'd rather didn't benefit. Only a will lets you say so.
• You have savings, a business, or possessions with meaning. Even a modest estate needs someone named to handle it, and specific items often matter more to families than money does.

If none of those apply, a will still tends to be worth it for the calm it brings. If even one applies, I'd not put it off.

What a will actually does for you

It's easy to think of a will as a document about death. In practice it's a set of decisions you make on your own terms, so nobody has to guess later.

"My estate's too small to bother with"

This one comes up more than any other, and it's worth taking seriously rather than waving away.

A will isn't only about money. If you have young children, the guardianship decision alone is reason enough, and it has nothing to do with the size of your bank balance. Beyond that, "small" estates still pass under the intestacy rules, which means the wrong person can still inherit, or a partner you've lived with for decades can end up with nothing. And the things families argue over are rarely the big assets. They're the ring, the photographs, the car, the things with a story attached. A will is where you settle that in advance.

So, do you need one?

If you've read this far, you probably already know the answer. The next step is smaller than you think: a free, no-pressure conversation about your situation, at home or over video, with no obligation to go ahead. If a will isn't right for you yet, I'll tell you that too.

This guide is general information about will writing in England & Wales, not advice for your particular circumstances. Every family is different, which is exactly why it's worth a proper conversation.