Last week was National Wills Week, which is always a great reminder to review your will. If you don’t have one, make sure you prioritise this immediately.

To find out more about what should be in your will and what makes a will valid, I am speaking to Monica Moodley, legal adviser manager at Old Mutual.

These are some of the questions I posed to Moncia:

• I was surprised to read a statistic that found that over 70% of adult South Africans do not have a will in place – even when they have family. What happens if you die without a will?
• If you have children, what should you include in your will to provide for them?
• Your marriage regime has a significant impact on your will and estate. If you are married in community of property or ANC with accrual, what do you need to consider?
• What if you are married COP but you are separated? Even if you have been living apart for many years, is half your estate still deemed to belong to your estranged spouse?
• Retirement funds are treated differently from your estate: you cannot necessarily leave them to your selected beneficiary. How does this work?
• How easy is it to write up a will and when should you consider getting advice?

Don’t leave your loved ones with an admin nightmare. Make sure you have a will in place, even if it is just a basic one.

Further reading:

• Make sure your will carries out your wishes
• What should you include in your will?
• Common mistakes to avoid when drafting a will
• Am I obliged to leave my estate to my family?
• Can a mistress inherit from a married man’s estate?
• Don’t get caught out by a poorly thought-out will
• All the ins and outs of estate planning
• Bequeathing property in your will – how it can go wrong
• Is your will worth the paper it’s written on?
• Your will holds your wishes, but be careful what you wish for