A statement of wishes is a document that accompanies your will. It's a way of further explaining or personalising your will.
The document is addressed to your executor and anyone else you instruct to share it with, either in full or just parts of it.
Unlike your will, it doesn't need to go through the High Court's probate process. As such, it is immediately accessible to give clear direction around things such as organ donation, treatment and disposal of your body and funeral wishes.
It is also a private document (not public, as is the case with wills), making it more suitable for passing on private or personal information.
Be remembered for all the right reasons.
Be remembered for good.
Why are they important?
Your statement of wishes is important for legal and personal reasons.
Legal reasons
Unlike a will, which needs to be quite direct and clear, a statement of wishes is valuable as a means of explaining the instructions left in the will without the risk of making the will ambiguous, confusing or contradictory.
Personal Reasons
At the time of your death, your family are grieving and will have a lot on their plate. A detailed statement of wishes will help remove the stress of decision making placed on your family at the time of your passing by providing them with clear instructions and detailed preferences.
What does it include?
- Justify leaving out a family member
- Justify favouring one child over others
- Leave directions for your business
- Give instructions for child's guardian
- Give instructions for those adopting your pets
- Explain gifts given in your will
- Give personal items to individuals
- Instruct on dividing possessions
- Assign control of digital assets
- Direct organ and tissue donation
- Direct on disposal of your body
- Provide funeral service preferences
- Leave personal messages to individuals
- Leave a statement of values to your family members
Who does it go to?
The document is addressed to your executor. You can also specify who else you would like the document to be shared with.
The statement of wishes separates gifts and messages into schedules addressed to different people so that your executor can give different personalised information to different people.
