Many people assume that you write a will when you are old and you are sure you are about to die. That’s what my grandparents did. They waited until the last minute to write their wills when they were old and thought they were about to die. This is because they believe it is a curse to write a will because it is as if they are calling upon death. This is just a superstition, obviously just because you write a will you will not die.
Death is a fact of life and although we would all like to die when we are very old, we can never predict when we will die. Some of the advantages of writing a will include avoiding disputes over the estate, taking care of people outside your immediate family and you can give directions concerning your burial. Most importantly it will give you the peace of mind of knowing that you have adequately taken care of the people you care about even after you are gone.
Writing a will is very simple and you do not need an advocate. I mean you could go to an advocate for good measure but it is not a legal requirement that the Will is drawn by an Advocate or lawyer.
First when writing your will you need to do is write out all your assets and liabilities. Your assets would include all the things that you own, from land to your bank account and your M-Pesa or Airtel money account. Liabilities are any money that you owe someone else.
After you have made the list the best thing to do write down is how you would like the liabilities to be dealt with. Then you can proceed to bequeath what is left to whomever you wish. However, there are certain people you cannot leave out of your will otherwise it will be successfully challenged in court. These are your children and dependents.
Then pick a person who would be the executor of your will. An executor is a person who will be tasked with carrying out the terms of your will.
Once you have written out the entire will the next thing would be to put your signature on the will. You will need two witnesses to witness you putting your signature on the Will and they will also have to sign the Will. It is important to note that the witnesses should not be beneficiaries under your Will.
Remember to keep it somewhere safe and ensure that someone you hope will survive you knows where the Will is, perhaps the executor of the Will or the two witnesses to your will. In the event that you change your mind about what is in the will you are allowed to revoke the Will at any time and write a new one.
Check out these articles on details on how to write your will, they are American but still have important info on how to go step by step in detail – writing your last will and testament and Make writing a will easy.
Writing a will is very simple and could really save your survivors the pain of having to go through long court processes after you have passed on.
Related
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Finances: Here Are The Steps You Need To Take To Inherit M-PESA Money As The Next Of Kin
Death & Preparation: Key Things To Do When Someone Dies In Kenya
Legal Issues: What To Look For When Choosing A Lawyer To Represent You
Planning Succession In Family Businesses
Drafting Your Will: 8 Steps You Must Follow To Avoid Any Hassles
Featured image via Wikihow.
