Making a will - Don’t leave a mess behind

MAKING a will is one of life’s chores that far too many of us foolishly long finger.

There are all sorts of reasons for this — acknowledging our mortality usually being an over-riding one — but the difficulties caused by dying intestate far outweigh the very moderate challenge involved in making a will.

The latest court service figures show that 4,000 Irish people died intestate in 2009, leaving their families with the expense of resolving the issues and their assets vulnerable to the whims of the legal system.

Too often dying without a will can divide a family, an unintended and avoidable consequence that can be avoided by a relatively inexpensive piece of legal work. The death of a loved one is often a fraught time. It should not be exacerbated because we cannot find the time to make a will.