UPDATING THE WILL

A will is not a document that is set in stone. It needs to reflect current rather than past realities and should therefore be revised periodically. After all, circumstances may change: some of your original beneficiaries may die; you may wish to leave a bequest to new arrivals such as a child or grandchild; you may acquire additional property not mentioned in the previous will; you may get married or divorced; or one of your executors may have died or become incapable of discharging their function.

Minor changes can be incorporated into the will by inserting additional paragraphs, known as codicils, which have to be witnessed. However, it is preferable to draw up a new will as you would certainly need to do if there were a major change in your circumstances, such as marriage or divorce. Even if no drastic changes occur in you life, it does no harm to revisit your will at regular intervals – say, every five or ten years – to make sure that it continues to reflect your wishes.

Once you have made the will it is advisable to give copies of it to your executors (and perhaps also to your next of kin) and store the original in a safe place where it can be easily found. If you have employed a solicitor they will doubtless offer to keep it in their office vaults; alternatively it could be lodged with your bank, the National Will Register or the Will Registry Office.