Why Young People Should Make A Will And A Lasting Power Of Attorney (LPA)

If you are in your twenties or thirties, you can be forgiven for thinking Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney are for "later". For most people, they sit alongside the stuff you plan to do one day. Sorting out a pension. Getting life insurance. Making sure you finally have a folder for important documents rather than a messy Notes app and an inbox full of unopened emails.

But this is the point: you do not need to be older to need a Will or an LPA. You just need to have a life that is connected to other people. And most young adults do, long before they think of themselves as someone who should be doing formal planning.

When real life catches up with the paperwork

There is often a moment, somewhere between leaving home and feeling "properly settled", where your life stops being simple. You might move in with a partner. You might share bills or sign a joint tenancy. You might start saving properly. You might take on a mortgage. You might become a parent. Or you might be supporting a relative, even informally, in a way you never expected.

All of that creates responsibilities. It also creates practical and legal consequences if something happens unexpectedly, because the law does not always follow the shape of your life unless you have put something in writing.

That is where a Will comes in.

A Will sets out what should happen to your money, property and possessions when you die. It also lets you choose the people who will deal with your estate (your executors), rather than leaving that process to chance. For many people, that is the part they want most. Some control, and fewer loose ends for everyone else.

What happens if you do not have a Will

A surprising number of people assume that if they died unexpectedly, their partner or their parents would automatically be able to take over and sort things out. They may feel confident that "everyone knows what I'd want".

Unfortunately, the law does not work on what people know. It works on what the rules say.

If you die without a Will, your estate is dealt with under the intestacy rules. Those rules are fixed. They are not designed to reflect modern family life, or long-term relationships. They also do not pause to ask what would feel fair.

That can hit cohabiting couples particularly hard. If you live together but you are not married or in a civil partnership, your partner may have no automatic right to inherit, even if you have been together for years and have built a home life together. It is one of the biggest misunderstandings we see, and it is often only discovered at the worst possible time.

Even if you are not a homeowner, it can still matter. You might have savings, a pension, a car, a life insurance policy, a laptop full of photos, or belongings that are valuable for reasons that have nothing to do with money. You might also have debt, rent obligations, or commitments that do not just disappear. Without a Will, the people left behind can find themselves trying to deal with complicated admin, at the same time as managing grief, shock, and practical disruption.

If you have children, the conversation changes

For parents, writing a Will is not really about "assets". It is about responsibility.

A Will can record who you would want to act as guardians for your children. It can also help you put a plan in place for how your children would be financially supported, and who would manage any money left behind for them.

Most parents do not enjoy thinking about this. They tend to avoid it, understandably. But having those choices recorded can be a real gift to the people who would otherwise be left trying to make difficult decisions with no guidance.

Why an LPA matters while you are still alive

A Will only helps after death. A Lasting Power of Attorney protects you while you are alive.

An LPA allows you to choose someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf if you cannot make them yourself. Without an LPA, even close family members may not be able to step in as easily as people assume.

Many people think that a spouse, partner or parent automatically has authority to help if someone becomes seriously unwell. They may even hear the phrase "next of kin" and take comfort from it. In reality, "next of kin" is not the same as legal power.

Without an LPA, families sometimes end up needing to apply to the Court of Protection for authority to manage finances or make ongoing decisions. That process can take time. It can also feel frustratingly formal, especially when everyone is simply trying to act in the person's best interests and keep life ticking over.

The two types of LPA, and why people often choose both

There are two main types of LPA. A property and financial affairs LPA, and a health and welfare LPA. Many people choose to make both, because they do different jobs.

A property and financial affairs LPA covers the practical side of life. Paying bills. Managing bank accounts. Keeping rent or mortgage payments up to date. Speaking to utility providers or financial organisations. It is the kind of admin people rarely notice until nobody can do it.

A health and welfare LPA covers decisions about medical treatment and care, and can include things like where you live, what support you receive, and who should be able to make decisions if you cannot communicate your wishes. It can feel like a big step to put this in place, but for many people it is also a reassuring one. It means the person you would trust most is legally able to support you if decisions need to be made.

Not pessimistic, just prepared

Some young adults avoid Wills and LPAs because they think it is tempting fate. Others avoid them because it feels like something they do not "deserve" yet. As if you need to reach a certain age, or have a certain amount of money, to be allowed to plan properly.

In reality, putting these documents in place is not dramatic. It is practical. It is the legal equivalent of making sure someone can get into your flat if you lose your keys, or that your direct debits do not collapse if you are off your feet for a while. It is about making life easier for the people you trust, and protecting the life you have already built.

A Will and an LPA also should not be treated as documents you sign once and forget. They need to keep pace with your life. The Will you make at 25 may not be the right Will at 35 if you have bought property, had children, separated, remarried, or your family circumstances have changed.

If you have been putting this off because you feel "too young", it may help to think of it differently. This is not a task for an older version of you. It is something you can do now that removes uncertainty later, and makes it easier for your loved ones to act quickly and confidently if they ever need to.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.