After you're gone

With the media full of reports about celebrity pre-nuptial agreements, and high-profile divorce settlements, it is maybe surprising to find that 34 million UK adults do not have a will, the Co-operative Legal Service (CLS) has discovered.

One in ten people says that they wouldn't know how to make a will, and another one in ten people thinks that legal fees will be prohibitive.

Almost half of people said that they didn't own anything valuable enough to leave in a will, and a third of people said that they were too young to consider making one.

Eddie Ryan, managing director of the CLS, said: "These findings clearly demonstrate that the majority of adults in the UK are currently unaware of the importance of having a will – staggeringly, over 34 million people cannot be certain that when they die their money and possessions will go to the persons they wish, in particular their partners and children.

"It is also apparent from the research that there are a number of common misconceptions surrounding will-writing, however with the right professional legal advice it needn't be an expensive or laborious process."

February 06^th 2008

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• Don't let the government get its hands on your cash
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• Young people neglect pensions
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