It is possible to write your own Will, or buy a ready-made form to fill in from a high street stationer or the post office. You can easily download forms from the internet (probably the most risky strategy – are they current, English, legal?). But, is it a false economy to write a Will yourself? Just because it’s possible to do something yourself, is it really a good idea? We can’t be experts in everything. That’s why people pay others to do something that an expert can do better or quicker or more professionally than we can do it ourselves, and we can ask for their expert opinion on consequences, outcomes and options. Think of these options: cutting hair; plumbing & electrics; building an extension or house; sewing a wedding dress; creating a website.
It is possible to research information or look at You Tube clips and learn how to do these things, but this will take us a lot of time, and there are experts who can do a much better job than us. The more important the task is to get it right, the more we really should get expert advice. Of course, we do need to make sure that they are qualified, insured, have good references and lots of satisfied clients, but if that’s the case, we can trust them to do a much better job than we can. If we do try a spot of DIY and things go wrong, we will still have the option to call a good plumber, hairdresser, etc to put it right and that’s often where they make more money, for putting right your botched efforts. You see, it’s a false economy.
However, if that DIY task was writing your Will, and it was only after you die that your loved ones find out that it isn’t valid, or doesn’t achieve what you expected, or doesn’t protect those you love, then you can’t go back and re-do it. Your loved ones will be left to pick up the pieces, which may cost money, time and cause families to fall out. So, why take the risk with DIY?