It's Never Too Early To... Get your affairs in order

This could mean putting aside money for their future, for education or deposit on a home. You may want to consider setting up a trust to provide for your children, this can be set up while you are still alive or established when you have died. You may want to provide for your stepchildren, foster children or other dependents, the law states that only spouses or blood relatives will automatically inherit if there is no will.

This can include your email and social media accounts, any digital accounts and online purchases, for example, music, websites, photos and films, these are also all part of your legacy and may disappear if you don’t make plans for them. Consider if you want the information destroyed or protected, this may mean making passwords available to the executor of your will.

Unmarried partners and stepchildren are not legally entitled to anything from your estate including the family home unless you have specified something in your will. How long you have been together does not affect this. Completing your will makes sure that they will receive what you want them to.

When you marry, any existing will automatically become invalid in England and Wales. This could mean according to the rules of intestacy your estate is divided between your new partner and children from a previous marriage. Divorce does not override your will, meaning your ex-partner could still inherit from your estate.

Many of us would like to leave the world a better place and one way to do this is to leave part of your estate to a charitable organisation. You may also like to leave specific gifts or assets to family members or friends, writing a will is your opportunity to do this. As well as supporting a good cause you could also potentially reduce the amount of inheritance tax paid by your family.

Much loved pets will also need to be looked after when you die, you can choose someone to look after them, and have some money set aside to feed them and cover any vets bills.