27/05/2026
Two conversations from my Windsor office this week that every family needs to hear.
Most people do not want to deal with their legal Wills or Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs). It sits permanently at the bottom of the family admin list because confronting our own mortality or a potential loss of capacity is emotionally uncomfortable.
But putting it off doesn't protect your family—it just passes a massive administrative and financial burden onto your children.
Two conversations I had this week at AFPS perfectly illustrate the risks of waiting—one was a face-to-face consultation right here in Windsor, and the other was a heartbreaking phone call.
The Face-to-Face Consultation: The 50-Year Time Warp
I sat with a new client aged 90, and his partner aged 82. He has been married twice before, and together they have a beautifully complex blended family with children from his previous marriages alongside the children they have together. He came in to finally put his affairs in order. The shocking part? He had last written his Will over 50 years ago. Had the worst happened before he walked through my door, a document from half a century ago would have governed his estate, almost certainly triggering catastrophic financial chaos and unintended disinheritances for his children.
The Phone Call: When "Later" Becomes Too Late
Two years ago, I drew up a comprehensive Will for a client. We discussed LPAs and life insurance in depth. The client decided she would handle the LPAs herself to save some money as she had time to do this herself. As is so often the case, life got in the way and it never happened. Last week, her husband suffered a severe fall. He is now in a coma. Because there is no LPA in place, his wife has zero legal ability to access his sole bank accounts, joint assets, or manage their financial commitments. Their world has frozen overnight, and she now faces a months-long, expensive battle with the Court of Protection just to access their own money to support their two small children.
The Solution: Rigid Wills vs. Flexible Letters of Wishes
The main reason people avoid writing a will is that they worry their family dynamics or relationships might change next year, making an expensive legal document obsolete. This is why we use a two-part strategy to make estate planning manageable:
1. The Legal Will (The Fixed Pillars): This is a formal, public document that handles the heavy, structural foundations—who your executors are, legal guardians for minor children, and how your main wealth is divided.
2. The Letter of Wishes (The Flexible Blueprint): This is a completely confidential, private document that sits alongside your will. It is addressed to your executors and contains granular detail (like who gets specific family heirlooms or how you want a trust managed). Crucially, it is not legally binding in court, meaning if your relationships change or your children mature, you can simply tear it up and write a new one yourself without paying to rewrite your will. It gives you total fluidity as life evolves.
Don't Leave it Until You're 90
Your adult children need to be involved in these conversations, especially regarding LPAs. An LPA isn't about giving away control; it’s about choosing who holds the steering wheel if you are temporarily or permanently unable to do so yourself. Combined with a clear Will and a Letter of Wishes, you give your children a definitive script so they never have to guess what you wanted during a time of grief.
If you’ve been putting this off, please don't worry. Come and see me at AFPS in Windsor. We will cut through the complexity, protect your assets, and get your family completely sorted.
You can drop us a message directly on here, or contact the Windsor office to book a chat.
