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The monthly note · October 2026

Book early. Turn up ready.

An adviser and an older couple at a table, looking together at paperwork
 

Hi there,

Free Wills Month opens today. If you're 55 or over, a participating solicitor will write or update a simple will for free. For couples making mirror wills, only one of you needs to be 55.

Appointments are limited and go on a first come, first served basis, so book this week if you want one.

Whether you use the scheme or pay for a will, the appointment goes quicker when you arrive with the facts. That's this month's job.

 

This month's one job: gather what a will writer will ask for

About 30 minutes.

1. Full names and addresses for you and everyone you want to include.
2. A rough list of what you own: home, savings, pensions, investments, life cover and anything abroad.
3. Who you'd like as executors, plus a back-up.
4. Guardians for any children under 18.
5. Any specific gifts, and any charity you'd like to remember.
 
Start your free account
 
 
 

What’s changed: Free Wills Month is open

The scheme runs every March and October. Charities pay participating solicitors to write simple wills for people aged 55 and over, in selected areas across the UK.

It covers simple wills. If yours is more complex, the solicitor may ask you to pay the difference. Search by postcode on the Free Wills Month website to see who’s taking part near you.

Also this month: the Budget is on Wednesday 28 October. We'll cover what it means for families in November.

Source: Remember A Charity and Age UK

 

Worth a read

Making a will: the checklist

Everything in one place before you book.

 

What an executor does in the first two weeks

Worth reading before you ask someone to do it.

 

Leaving things in order

The will is the start, not the finish.

 
 
 

Free template

Executor duties checklist

The executor’s job in order, from registering the death to sharing out the estate. Give a copy to whoever you name.

Get the free template
 

From FamilySafe

Once your will is done, record where the original is kept. A probate application needs the original, not a copy. The Probate plan (£149, one payment) gives your executor a single list of every account and asset, with a status on each.

 
 
 

Good luck with the booking.

Brian and Richard, FamilySafe

 

P.S. The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October. Use the extra hour to check the emergency sheet from July. Phone numbers change more often than you’d think.

 

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This is the October 2026 edition of the monthly note. Links and dates were correct at the time of sending.

FamilySafe, Halifax, West Yorkshire

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