A confused 98% of Britons can’t accurately describe what a will is for, with an estimated seven million promising something to a loved one after they die, but have not written it in a will.
The survey of 2,000 adults conducted by Macmillan Cancer Support shows that while people say they like to plan ahead and say they are comfortable talking about their dying wishes, they are actually putting off important tasks like will writing.
The research shows almost two thirds (60%) of the adult population don’t have a will even though a third of us know which song we want played at our funeral!
The top reasons for not writing a will were having ‘just never got round to it’ (41%), the belief that they don’t have anything valuable to leave (26%) and thinking they don’t need to write one until they’re older (21%).
The average age people think they should be making a will is 40.
Macmillan Cancer Support is encouraging the nation to discuss their end of life wishes with loved ones, and move writing a will to the top of their to-do list. They say not doing so can heap financial stress onto loved ones after they’ve gone.
I got to speak to Emma Noble from MacMillan and the actress Samantha Bond who is a MacMillan ambassador about wills
