Life events
Most people make a will because something has changed. These guides cover the moments that matter, from your first home or first child to marriage, travel, retirement and later life.
Reviewed by the Estate Advisory Group editorial teamLegally reviewed: 13 August 2026Last updated: 13 August 2026
- Making a Will in Your 20sWhat actually changes legally in your 20s, and why a will is worth having even without a mortgage or children.
- Making a Will in Your 30sBuying a home, having children and taking out life cover all make a will more important in your 30s.
- Making a Will in Your 40sBlended families, ageing parents and growing assets make your 40s a decade to get your will right.
- Making a Will in Your 50sAs children grow up and pensions build, your 50s are a good time to review your will and your wider planning.
- Making a Will in Your 60sRetirement, downsizing and gifts to grandchildren all shape what your will needs to cover in your 60s.
- Making a Will Over 70Capacity, care costs and keeping a will current are the key considerations for making a will over 70.
- Is It Ever Too Early to Make a Will?The honest answer to when you should make a will: as soon as you have anyone or anything you care about.
- Making a Will Before Getting MarriedMarriage cancels an old will automatically, so it pays to sort your will out before or around your wedding.
- Making a Will When Moving in TogetherMoving in together does not give you legal rights like marriage does, so a will matters from day one.
- Making a Will Before Buying a HouseExchanging contracts on a new home is a natural point to make sure your will actually covers it.
- Making a Will Before Having a BabyGuardianship, trusts and a chosen age of inheritance all need a will once a baby is on the way.
- Making a Will Before Travelling AbroadA short lead time before a trip is still enough to make a valid will, provided you plan it sensibly.
- Making a Will After Someone DiesBereavement often means your own will needs updating, from beneficiaries and executors to how an inheritance is treated.
- What Documents Should My Family Know About Before I Die?The key documents your family will need after your death, and how to make sure they can actually find them.
- What Information Should I Leave for My Executor?Everything worth telling your executor in advance, so they are not starting from nothing when the time comes.
- End-of-Life Planning ChecklistA single, practical checklist covering the main things worth putting in place, beyond just your will.
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Other guidance
- Make a willEverything you need to make a will in England and Wales: what a will does, what it costs, whether you can write your own and what makes it legally valid.
- Signing and witnessingHow to sign and witness a will correctly in England and Wales, who can act as a witness and the mistakes that stop a will taking effect.
- Executors and beneficiariesChoosing executors, naming beneficiaries, leaving property, money and possessions, and what happens to a gift if a beneficiary dies before you.
- Wills and familyWills for parents, married and unmarried couples, mirror wills, guardians, and how marriage, divorce and separation affect an existing will.
- Will guidesWhat happens if you die without a will, the intestacy rules, when to update a will, how to change one and whether you need a solicitor.
- Inheritance and giftsWho you can leave your estate to, leaving everything to one person, unequal shares between children, grandchildren, friends and the age children inherit.
- Property and willsWhat happens to a home when you die: joint tenants and tenants in common, leaving your share, mortgages, and whether an unmarried partner inherits.
- What happens when you dieWhat happens to bank accounts, joint accounts, pensions, ISAs and savings when someone dies, and how a will changes who ultimately benefits.
- Tax and estatesInheritance tax and wills explained: the nil rate band, residence nil rate band, spouse and charity exemptions, gifts and who pays the tax.
- Digital assetsWhat happens to your phone, email, social media, photos, online accounts and cryptocurrency when you die, and how to cover them in your will.
- Pets and willsWhat happens to your pet when you die, how to include a pet in your will, leaving money for their care and gifts to animal charities.
- Business ownersMaking a will if you own a business: company shares, sole trader businesses, partnership interests and what happens when an owner dies.
- Online willsMaking a will online in England and Wales: what it costs, fixed fee will writing, online versus DIY wills, and how quickly you can get one done.
- Gifts and wishesLeaving jewellery, cars, heirlooms and cash gifts in a will, giving different gifts to different people, and recording funeral and cremation wishes.
- Blended familiesWills for second marriages and blended families: stepchildren, children from a previous relationship, grandchildren and protecting a partner and children together.
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