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Wills

Securing your family's future

At Opal, we believe that everyone should have a Will. It is the only way that you can have a say over
what happens to your assets when you die.

Why do I need a Will?
  • To have complete control of what happens to your assets when you die.
  • To ensure your family, friends and any dependents have the security they deserve.
  • To be able to make a donation to a charity or good cause of your choice.
What happens if I don't have one?
  • Without a Will, your assets will be divided according to the law, which may not meet your wishes.
  • If you're married with children, your spouse may not automatically inherit everything you own.
  • Instead, your assets may be divided between your spouse and your children.
  • If you are not married, your partner may not get any of your assets.
How can Opal help?
  • A personal and professional Will writing service.
  • Our trained Consultants are here for you and will visit you in your own home.
  • We are able to guide you through the whole process from taking instructions for your Will right -through to signing and storing the final document.

Single Will - Prices start from £150

A Single Will is for one person. You can make a single Will whether you have a partner or not.

Mirror Wills - Prices start from £245

In England and Wales, mirror wills, sometimes also called mirror image wills or joint wills, are commonly used by married and unmarried couples that have very similar wishes about what should be written into their wills.

Trust Wills - Prices start from £395

A trust is a legal structure which can be included as part of your will and can offer increased asset protection for your loved ones.These types of wills are called trust wills. We would always recommend that you consider the benefits of setting up a trust as part of your will. They are most commonly seen in the following circumstances:

You wish to protect your estate from a spouse remarrying after you die (sideways disinheritance). Protecting your estate in this way means your children always receive what you intended to leave them from your own estate.

  • You wish to protect your estate against possible care fees in the future
  • You have a spouse or partner but children from a previous relationship
  • You wish to leave some of your estate to a vulnerable or disabled person
Types of trust wills

We offer the following types of trust wills to assist in different circumstances:

  • Property trust will
  • Flexible Life Interest Will
  • Discretionary trust will
Property trust wills
A property trust will lets you create a trust in your will that looks after your property (or your share of it). You would appoint trustees to manage the trust but the terms of the trust allow you to give someone (normally a spouse or civil partner) the right to benefit from the trust during their lifetime.
Benefits of a property trust will
  • Guarantees who benefits from your share of the property if your surviving spouse or civil partner remarries after you die (marriage automatically invalidates any existing wills) writes a new will after your death, changing their original wishes
  • Can help reduce the potential impact of residential care fees on the property value for the benefit of future generations

A property trust will is best suited to people who are married or in a civil partnership. If you are unmarried, you can make a discretionary trust instead.

Flexible life interest trust wills

A flexible life interest trust will is similar to a property trust will, but enables you to put the whole or part of your estate in the will trust, rather than just your property.

Benefits of a flexible life interest trust will

A flexible life interest trust will guarantees who benefits from cash assets and investments as well as property if your surviving spouse or civil partner:

  • Remarries after your death (marriage automatically Invalidates any existing wills)
  • Writes a new Will after your death, changing their original wishes

This type of Will also allows a nominated person to benefit from the income generated from your
investments if you die, whilst protecting the capital value for future generations.

Who can benefit from a flexible life interest trust will?
  • Wish to take care of a nominated person such as a surviving spouse, but protect the value of -assets for specific loved ones in the future
  • Want to protect the value of the investments for future generations
Discretionary trust wills

A discretionary trust will allows you to appoint trustees to manage inheritance on behalf of vulnerable loved ones who require assistance.

Benefits of a discretionary trust will

A discretionary trust will:

Guarantee that vulnerable people are given assistance in the management of their inheritance reduces the risk of state benefit entitlements being compromised by the receipt of inheritance potentially helps unmarried couples with Inheritance Tax planning

Who can benefit from a discretionary trust will?

A discretionary trust will can benefit anyone who wishes to leave inheritance to:

Loved ones who lack the mental or physical capacity to look after their own affairs loved ones who have a disability and run the risk of having their state benefit entitlements compromised by the receipt of inheritance beneficiaries who are in a vulnerable position or who are unable to manage their own finances The cost of setting up a trust will in England and Wales A single trust will costs from £399.

Mirror trust Wills (2 Wills for a couple)
cost from £795.

Our fixed fee cost includes one of the three types of trusts listed above. Once we have provided you with. A written quote for the agreed work to be done, and that price will not change.

What does a will trustee do?

The trustee will be responsible for managing the trust assets in line with the terms of the will and in the best interests of the trust’s beneficiaries. It is common (but not strictly necessary) for the same person to be appointed as both trustee and executor in the will.

Trustees have a financial responsibility to act in accordance with the terms of the trust and to act fairly towards the beneficiaries, balancing each of their interests. There is also a duty of care under the Trustee Act 2000 to “exercise such care and skill as is reasonable in the circumstances.”

The main duties of a will trustee include:

Acting impartially and in the best interests of all of the beneficiaries of the trust

Acting with reasonable care and skill (if a trustee is a professional, such as a solicitor or accountant, then a higher standard of care

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Opal Legal is a Member of
the Society of Will Writers.

“Opal provides comprehensive estate planning and best-in-class legal documents that will protect your life’s work and safeguard the future of your loved ones”.

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