Key things people forget when writing their wills

When you sit down to write a will, big things like properties, bank accounts and family heirlooms instantly come to mind, but some overlooked details often fall through the cracks.

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1. Alternative or replacement beneficiaries

Clearly naming alternative or replacement beneficiaries in your will is a sensible backup plan that most of us forget to do. “If the donee, who is the recipient of the gift under the will, dies before the testator [the person who makes a legally valid will], and there isn't a replacement beneficiary, then that gift will fail and that legacy will fall into the residue,” explains Emma Bryson,. “That means it will fall into the pot of everything else that's left in the estate, and that might not be what the testator wanted.”

You aren't legally obligated to name alternative or replacement beneficiaries in your will, but it's usually advised by solicitors.

“If you don't name an alternative or replacement beneficiary there are obviously some risks, because if they die before you, you then lose control as to what happens with that gift,” advises Bryson.

2. Funeral and burial wishes