Reminders to Review Your Will and Estate Documents: The Task Everyone Defers

Estate planning is the task most consistently deferred by 'I'll do it later'. Surveys repeatedly find that the majority of adults either have no will or have a will that no longer reflects their current circumstances. Marriages, divorces, births, deaths, significant asset changes — any of these can make an existing will significantly out of date. An annual reminder to review your will costs nothing and could matter enormously.

When Wills Need Updating

Any major life event is a trigger to review: marriage (which in England and Wales typically revokes a prior will), divorce, birth of a child or grandchild, death of a named beneficiary or executor, significant change in assets (property, investments, business interests), or change in residence that affects applicable law.

Beyond events, a periodic review matters even without a trigger. Attitudes change, relationships evolve, and what felt like the right distribution of assets five years ago may not reflect your current wishes.

The Annual Review Reminder

Set an annual reminder on a date that's easy to remember — your birthday, the start of the tax year, a fixed date in January. The prompt: 'Annual will review — check beneficiaries, executors, and asset list are still accurate. Any life changes since last year?'

The review itself, for a simple will, takes 15-30 minutes: read through the document, check that named people and institutions are still correct, consider whether anything has changed. If changes are needed, the reminder gives you time to contact a solicitor rather than discovering the issue at the worst possible moment.

Other Estate Documents to Review

A will covers what happens to your estate after death, but two other documents cover situations where you're alive but incapacitated. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for property and financial affairs allows a nominated person to manage your finances if you lose mental capacity. An LPA for health and welfare allows them to make medical decisions on your behalf.

Both LPAs need to be set up while you have mental capacity. An annual reminder to ensure these are in place — and that your nominated attorneys are still willing and able to serve — is as important as reviewing the will itself.

Making the Reminder Work

The value of a will review reminder is partly in the review itself and partly in prompting the conversation with family. Many families have never discussed what the will contains, who the executors are, or where the document is stored. An annual reminder is an opportunity to have that conversation while everyone is well and rational, rather than in the immediate aftermath of a death.

Store a digital copy of the will and its location securely (with your solicitor and in a trusted document folder your executor knows about). Add this to the annual reminder check.