1. The advantages of making a Will
Any person over the age of 18 may make a Will. A Will is a document which sets out how a person's assets are to be distributed after his or her death. The person making the Will is called the "testator"(if male) or "testatrix"(if female). Therefore, if a person leaves a Will after the death, he or she is said to have died "testate". For those without a Will, they are called "intestate".
If a person makes a Will, he/she can:
- arrange how his/her assets will be shared amongst relatives other than according to the law of intestate;
- leave assets to beneficiaries who are not related to him/her, e.g. friends and charities;
- appoint executor(s) (number of executors not to exceed FOUR) to manage and distribute the assets.
If the deceased dies without a Will, the distribution of the assets and who can administer the estate will be governed by the law of intestate. This is discussed in the section "Distribution of estate to the relevant parties".
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