Most people think estate planning starts and ends with a will. Write it down, sign it, done.
But a will is only one piece of the puzzle. And it's often not even the most important one.
Here are 7 things every UK family should have in place — in roughly the order they matter.
Your Estate Planning Checklist
7 things to sort before you write a will
- 1📄 Write a legally valid willCritical
The foundation of everything. Without a will, intestacy rules decide who gets what.
- 2🔑 Set up a Lasting Power of AttorneyCritical
An LPA lets someone manage your finances or health decisions if you lose capacity.
- 3🎯 Nominate pension & insurance beneficiariesHigh
These assets pass outside your will — named beneficiaries override everything else.
- 4🗂️ Record your assets and debtsHigh
Banks, investments, property, pensions, and debts — your executor needs this list.
- 5📁 Gather and store key documentsMedium
Birth certificate, marriage certificate, property deeds, insurance policies.
- 6💬 Tell your executor what they need to knowMedium
They should know where your will is, who your solicitor is, and what you own.
- 7💙 Leave final wishes instructionsPersonal
Funeral preferences, messages for loved ones, and anything else that matters to you.
Beqst guides you through each of these steps — and keeps everything in one secure place.
1. A Valid, Up-to-Date Will
Let's start with the obvious. 59% of UK adults don't have a valid will. That figure never stops being startling.
Without a will, your estate is distributed according to the Rules of Intestacy — a rigid legal formula that doesn't account for unmarried partners, estranged relatives, stepchildren, or any of the nuances of a real family's life.
But the word valid is important. A will that's out of date can be just as problematic as no will at all. You should review yours after:
- Getting married or divorced (marriage revokes a will; divorce doesn't)
- Having children or grandchildren
- Significant changes in assets or finances
- The death of a named executor or beneficiary
What to do: If you don't have a will, get one. If you do, check when you last updated it.
2. Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA)
A Lasting Power of Attorney gives someone you trust the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf if you lose capacity — through illness, accident, or cognitive decline.
There are two types:
- Property and Financial Affairs LPA — pays bills, manages accounts, deals with property
- Health and Welfare LPA — makes decisions about medical treatment and care
Neither takes effect automatically. Both must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before they can be used — a process that currently takes 20 weeks.
What most people don't realise: If you become incapacitated without an LPA, even your spouse can't automatically access your accounts or make decisions about your care. The family must apply to the Court of Protection, which is expensive and slow.
What to do: Create and register both types of LPA as soon as possible. Don't wait until you need them.
3. Named Beneficiaries on Pensions and Life Insurance
Here's something many people don't know: pensions and most life insurance policies don't pass through your will.
They're distributed directly by the provider, based on who you've nominated as a beneficiary. If you haven't nominated anyone — or if your nomination is out of date — the provider may use their own discretion, which often means the money goes to your estate (and potentially into the IHT calculation) rather than directly to your family.
What to do: Check your nominations with every pension provider and life insurer. Update them after major life events.
4. A Clear Record of Your Assets
Your executor can only administer your estate if they can find your estate.
This is the step that causes the most delay and distress in estate administration. Families spend months trying to track down:
- Bank accounts (including dormant ones)
- Pension funds (the average person has 11 jobs in their lifetime — each may have a pension)
- Investments and ISAs
- Property and mortgages
- Crypto and digital assets
- Business interests
The UK has around £50 billion in unclaimed assets sitting in dormant accounts. Much of it belongs to people whose families simply didn't know it existed.
What to do: Keep a single, up-to-date record of all your accounts, policies, and assets — and make sure your executor knows where to find it.
5. Organised Documents
Even when families know an asset exists, they often can't find the paperwork. And providers won't talk to executors without it.
The documents that matter most:
- Original will (not a photocopy)
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Property deeds or mortgage documents
- Pension statements and policy documents
- Share certificates or investment statements
- Business ownership documents (if applicable)
- Login credentials for digital accounts
What to do: Store originals safely (a fireproof safe, a solicitor, or a secure digital vault) and make sure your executor knows how to access them.
6. A Conversation With Your Executor
Most people are named as executors with no warning and no preparation. They find out when the will is read — which is exactly when they need to start acting.
The most effective thing you can do is have a conversation now. Not a legal briefing. Just an honest conversation about:
- Where your will is
- Where your financial records are
- What accounts and policies exist
- Any specific wishes you have for your estate
What to do: Tell your executor where things are. If you're using Beqst, share access to your executor portal.
7. A Written Note of Your Final Wishes
Your will deals with assets. But there's a lot it doesn't cover:
- Funeral preferences (burial vs. cremation, specific requests)
- Organ donation wishes
- What happens to digital accounts (social media, subscriptions, email)
- Personal messages to people you love
- Care preferences for pets or dependents
None of these are legally binding — but they matter enormously to the people left behind.
What to do: Write them down somewhere your family can find. Include them in your estate records alongside your will.
The Thread Running Through All of This
Every item on this list comes back to the same thing: making things findable.
A will that can't be located is worthless. A pension nomination that's out of date costs your family money. An executor who doesn't know where to start costs your family time.
Estate planning isn't really about paperwork. It's about removing as much uncertainty as possible from one of the most difficult things a family will ever go through.
Beqst is designed around exactly this checklist — 13 guided sections covering every aspect of your estate, from assets and documents to final wishes and executor access. Start organising for free →