Do you still share the untrue belief that writing a will is a sign of looming death? Or you still don’t understand the advantages of writing a will and the disadvantages of not writing one? Then you need to read this.

Will is an essential instrument planning the future at a time you are no longer living to implement your plan. Death is inevitable for mankind. Writing a Will legally protect your spouse, children, and properties. It also helps preserve life-long legacies which you have laboured and worked on all your life. Writing a Will surely doesn’t mean you are planning to die soon.

The disadvantages of not writing a will outweighs the advantages of writing one, not writing a will can be simply described as ‘sitting on a keg of gunpowder’. Consider the following advantages of writing a will.

1. It helps you decide how your properties will be distributed after death
A will has the backing of law and creates legal rights as you desire in the Will. For example, Mr Johnson has N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) in assets and he has three minor children, your will helps you protect and clarify the interest of each of your children and your dependants. When people die without a will, there is no guarantee that their intended desires will be carried out. A will minimizes family quarrel as to who gets what, when and how.

2. A Will offers protection for life legacies
Many have laboured all their life for a certain project or idea, death may end it all, your will help you pass the project to trusted persons with strict instructions on how you want your projects and ideas to be run as such that even after death, with a properly drafted Will, your project will still remain a legacy several years after death.

3. Will defines your properties at the point of death
Many people die leaving assets and properties secretly in the hands of friends and family members, upon death, different people conceal the deceased ownership of the properties especially when there are little or no documentation to prove the deceased ownership. A Will helps you define your properties. It helps you acknowledge even Children whose paternity you couldn’t acknowledge in your lifetime and also specify those you intend that they benefit from your properties after death.

4. Any sex or Age can write a Will
You can make a Will at any age provided you have attained majority, likewise, women and men can write wills irrespective of their marital status.

5. You decide
A Will allows you to decide who takes care of your dependants and what resources should be used to, it also help you blacklist those persons you do not want to benefit from your properties.

6. Possibility of altering your Will is almost impossible –
Forget the narratives from Nollywood, when you engage a Solicitor, who prepares your will and lodge the Will at the Probate Registry of the High Court for safekeeping, the possibility of altering the Will is unlikely. You can seek advise or help from a Solicitor of your choice.

7. You can make gifts and donations, support religious and cultural events even after your death
Some people love to do charity during their lifetime, others love to perform religious duties, the only way you can do this after life is through a Will. You can by your Will provide those gifts in charity even after you are long gone. You can sponsor orphanages and help raise payment for medical bills even after death. A Will allows your legacy to outlive you.

8. Avoid the unknown
Dying without a Will could amount to your properties passing to someone you did not intend handing over your property to. Life and relationships can get complicated, siblings quarrel over their parent properties, a Will helps clarify the issues of who get what, when and how even within your family.

9. You can amend your will anytime
From feedbacks, we observed some people fear that Wills can not be changed after lodgement, fortunately, this is not true, a Will can be changed/altered by the Write during his lifetime at anytime and as many times as possible.

10. There is room for Estate Planning
Estate Planning enables you to plan your assets even after death to legally minimize liabilities such as running cost, taxes and levies with a view of adding value to your estate. Your Will can address this

Save yourself the stress of going the uncertain route, dictate the future today, engage a Solicitor to write your Will and lodge your Will at the Probate Registry of the High Court for safekeeping.

For further questions or should you want to write your Will, send us an email via olivesandcandles@zoho.com