Leaving money to charity in a UK will: the 2026 guide
A UK guide to charitable bequests in wills - the IHT exemption, the 10% reduced-rate rule, how to identify charities correctly, and the four ways to leave a charity gift.
Insights & guides
Plain-English guides to writing your will
Articles on choosing executors, leaving a legacy, inheritance tax, blended families and the practical nuts and bolts of probate.
What happens to pets in a UK will? The 2026 guide
A UK guide to providing for pets in your will - why a pet can't inherit directly, how to leave money to a carer, when a pet trust is worth considering, and the UK rehoming charities.
Funeral instructions in a UK will: why a letter of wishes is usually better
A UK guide to recording funeral wishes - why a will is the wrong place, where to put them instead, prepaid plans, the executors' legal authority, and organ donation.
Mirror wills explained: the UK couple's most popular choice
A clear UK guide to mirror wills - what they are, when they're right (and wrong), how they differ from joint and mutual wills, and the spouse-invite process.
Families torn apart: real consequences of dying without a will
Composite illustrative scenarios showing the kinds of family conflicts that arise when someone dies without a will — and the simple fix that prevents them.
What happens if beneficiaries can't be found?
A UK guide for executors faced with missing beneficiaries — what enquiries are required, how tracing agents and Benjamin orders work, and how to write a will that is easier to administer.
Losing mental capacity: why timing matters when writing a will
Why testamentary capacity is the deadline most people miss — what capacity means, how it is assessed, and what options remain if it has already been lost.
Can your family override your will? The 1975 Act explained
How the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 lets certain people apply to vary your will — who can claim, what counts as reasonable provision, and how to plan around it.
What happens if your will is unclear or badly written?
A UK guide to ambiguous, contradictory, and badly drafted wills — what executors do, how courts interpret them, and how to write a clear will that holds up.
What happens if a will is contested?
Validity challenges, 1975 Act claims, time limits and how to write a will that is much harder to contest - a UK explainer.
How to store your will safely
Home safe, solicitor, the Probate Service, banks and the National Will Register - a UK guide to storing your will so it can be found.
What happens if your executor refuses to act?
Renunciation, power reserved, and what beneficiaries can do if an executor stalls - a plain-English UK guide.