Keeping Your Will up to Date

From Testicles and Bananas, to Lemon and Intestacy

by Richard Radcliffe Flnst F Cert

Richard Radcliffe has over 25 years experience in the voluntary sector - including being Executive Chairman of Smee & Ford. He has specialised in legacy fundraising for 15 years and has met over 10,000 donors/ volunteers/ service users in 1,000 legacy focus groups which he has held on behalf of 350 charities.

Mr Robert Earl of Tonbridge died and in his Will said:

"I leave my testicles to my bank manager because he has no balls of his own"

A true, and rather wonderful quote from one of the 1000s of Wills my company reads every week. We read Wills, after probate has been granted which is when they become a public document, to ensure that charities such as the RAF Association, receive what they are legally due and to help prevent fraud. Smee & Ford have a contract with the Central Registry - part of the Lord Chancellor's Office and have read Wills for over 140 years.

Oddly, reading Wills is not a morbid job; but we are constantly reminded as to how personal a Will is.

Recently we have notices many changes in the world of testaments:

So many Wills have been written such a long time ago - often decades and decades ago. We wonder whether these Wills truly reflect the last wishes of the person concerned. Isn't it easy NOT to update one's Will?
There are so many more Wills with charities mentioned now, than 10 years ago, but not a noticeable increase for the RAF Association. Cancer Research UK is the largest 'legacy beneficiary' - it received over £128 million from legacies last year. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the RAF Association was to get this sum every year!
There are fewer errors in Wills - we have seen many charities mis-named in wills: Dr Bananas, which we assumed was Barnardo's; Guard Dogs for the Blind; National Rust; even Royal National Institute for the Death (we presume it was meant to be 'Deaf'). Luckily, it is so much easier to draft Wills now than 50 years ago and so even the price of an average Will has come down, those written by Will shops to about £50, those written by a Solicitor about £150.
More people are writing Wills - only 13% of us die without a Will (intestate). 20 years ago it was around 24%. Perhaps this is due to the many changes in families and lifestyles; sadly many more families are breaking up. Parterships are also more common and Wills are far more important within partnerships than in marriages due to fewer inheritance rights.

What is staggering is that charities receive almost £1.6 billion a year from legacies - a massive sum which usually secures the long term financial future for many charities.

Lemons don't help financial security but recently a man on social security left in his Will, "A lemon to Telford social services". The lemon had to have a message attached from his Executors saying "Now squeeze that as much as you can". Nice one!

And if, perchance, you have included The RAF Association (RAFA) in your Will, then a huge thank you and you will be very glad to know that on average you will live an extra three years compared to those who have not left a legacy to a charity - why? We haven't the foggiest idea but the statistic is the same every year.

I wish you all very long and happy lives.

To contact RAFA regarding Legacies and Will information please:

Telephone: 0116 268 8766 or Email us

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