Afterword — a will written in an afternoon, in words your family will understand

What one afternoon covers

£420, fixed

A will for one personor £640 for a couple

Guardians for your childrenincluded

A letter of wishes, in your wordsincluded

Two powers of attorney£290 more

Storing the signed originalfree, for good

An elderly woman with white hair and glasses laughing as a small child hugs her.

Three ways to do the afternoon

An old wooden bureau with small drawers and a cushioned chair beside a window.

At our office

The back room on Bridge Street

Tea, a big table and a parking space by the door. Weekdays and the first Saturday of the month.

A black and white photograph of an old woman leaning over a sleeping baby.

At your home

Your own kitchen table

Within twenty miles at no extra cost. Useful if someone cannot travel, or if the papers are in the loft.

An old fountain pen lying across a handwritten letter with a postmark.

In two halves

Talk first, sign later

One call to talk it through, then we post the draft and come back only to sign. For people who like to think overnight.

Before the afternoon

Who looks after things

One or two executors you trust, and a second choice. They do not have to be family, and they do not have to be good with money.

Who looks after the children

If they are under eighteen. Ask the people you choose before you name them; we have seen it go badly when nobody did.

The small things

The ring, the clock, the dog. Write a list. The things people argue about are rarely the house.

A rough list of what you own

House, pensions, savings, anything abroad. Rough is fine; nobody needs statements.

Leave to us: the wording, the witnesses and the rules about who can sign. That part is our job, and it is the part home-made wills most often get wrong.

A bundle of old letters tied with string, an ink bottle and a pen beside old photographs.

A will written in one afternoon, in words your family will understand