Lifestyle

Young Woman Explains Why She Wrote a Will at 27

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

Most people in their late twenties are not thinking about writing a will, but Erin Atkinson has already decided what should happen to her money and belongings after her death. "At first it felt quite surreal because you associate wills with older people," she says. Erin works in psychological research at a London university and moved to the capital from Bristol four years ago. She rents her home and, while she prefers not to disclose her exact salary, does not consider herself particularly wealthy. Despite this, she has decided how some of her possessions should be distributed. Her £7,000 car will go to her sister, while a gold necklace given to her by her partner will be returned to him. She has also arranged for part of her money to go to a cause she cares about deeply. "One thing that's close to my heart is an endometriosis charity," she says. "It felt really empowering that I could have that written down to say I want X amount donated." For many young people, making a will may not seem like a priority, especially if they feel they have little to leave behind. According to the 2025 National Wills Report, only one in five people aged 18 to 24 has a will in place, rising to 33% among those aged 22 to 34, compared with 56% of people over 55. Sophia Maslin, founder of Morby, an app that helps people create wills online, says one common misconception is that you need significant assets before making a will. "People believe they don't own enough. But actually, if you've got some sort of savings, investments, pensions, your social media accounts, if you've got pets, even funeral wishes, these are all things to think about," she says. Erin first considered making a will after a friend bought a home, and later after coming across Maslin's content on TikTok, where she shared the story of her cousin who died young without a will, leaving her family to navigate a complicated situation. This, combined with witnessing the impact of her own grandmother's will, encouraged Erin to create her own. "My grandma passed and she had a will and it was very complex because we have quite a large family. Seeing the will written in a way that was very directive showed me you can take a lot of pressure off the family," she says. Through the process, Erin also realised she had more financial assets than she initially thought, including premium bonds. Eleanor Hodgson from Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors explains that a will can serve practical purposes even for those without significant assets. "It's not just your assets that it helps because there's still someone that has to deal with your bank accounts and any debts you have, and it's being able to name a person that can legally deal with that without having to jump through hoops," she says. Hodgson adds that the difficulties of not having a will often only become clear when it is too late. Maslin notes that many young people delay writing a will, assuming it is something to consider later in life. "The reality is that unexpected things happen at every stage of life," she says. For Erin, some items included in her will hold more emotional than financial value. Her will also specifies personal wishes, including a poem she would like read at her funeral and a particular drink to be served. She says thinking about these details did not feel morbid. "For me, writing a will wasn't about expecting the worst. It was about taking responsibility and making life easier for the people I care about," she says. Writing a will can seem complicated or costly, but there are ways to do so affordably or for free. Each November, the Will Aid scheme connects people with solicitors who volunteer their time and waive fees for writing a basic will. Once working with a solicitor, several key decisions must be made: choosing beneficiaries for money and possessions, including guardians for children under 18 if applicable; naming an executor to carry out the will's instructions, who may be a trusted person or a solicitor, though fees may apply; deciding who will care for any pets; specifying funeral wishes such as burial or cremation preferences, music, readings or flowers; and ensuring the will is stored safely, with a trusted person aware of its location, since an undiscovered will can cause delays or result in wishes not being honoured.