Letter of wishes/informal writings

It is possible for you to prepare a separate note to be stored with your Will to leave some of your possessions to named beneficiaries like family or friends. This is called a letter of wishes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (also known as a memorandum of personal chattels) and informal writings in Scotland.

IMPORTANT: Letters of wishes/informal writings cannot contain gifts of money or business assets.

However they are a great way to leave possessions like jewellery to family or friends who would appreciate them especially if you would like to leave a large number of these types of gifts. The benefit of using a letter of wishes is that you can change this as many times as you like without having the expense of amending your Will.

This document can be referred to in your Will and should be stored with your Will.