PRESS RELEASE

18^thJanuary 2016

LACKING WILL POWER?

NEW SURVEY SHOWS 47% HAVE NOT MADE A WILL DESPITE ACKNOWLEDGING THE FINANCIAL RISKS TO LOVED ONES OF DYING INTESTATE.

A national survey published today by end of life planning provider ‘Once I've Gone' (www.onceivegone.com) which looked at the public's opinions towards Wills, revealed that 47% of respondents have not yet made a Will*.

Apathy is the number one reason for not making a Will with two thirds (66%) of those without a will, claiming that it was down to 'not getting around to it'. 8% felt that they were still ‘too young to make a Will', while 3% did not want to think about dying. These opinions were voiced despite the fact that 92% of those taking part in the survey were aged between 36 and 65+ years of age with loved ones to provide for once they have gone.

Dying intestate (dying without a Will) can mean that your loved ones will not be provided for as you wish. In these situations, the intestate person will have their property shared out according to the rules of intestacy, which could mean that loved ones will lose their right to inherit anything. Those who often miss out on inheritance include unmarried partners, close friends, carers or relations by marriage because the deceased failed to create a will.

With the increase in non-traditional families in the UK, making a will has never been so important.  Dying intestate can also result in the liability of inheritance tax falling upon those loved ones left behind, before the estate is released by the government. In this situation, some will only be able to finance this taxation by getting into debt. In the survey, 8% of people said that their reason for not making a will was that it 'was too expensive', despite the potential financial impact on their families if they die intestate.

In situations where an inheritance isn't claimed, the government can claim the deceased's entire estate. Over £15 billion of policies go unclaimed each year in the UK due to people dying intestate and despite 84% of those surveyed by www.onceivegone.com being aware of this statistic, apathy in making a will is still the leading factor in not making this provision.

‘Once I've Gone' Founder, Ian Dibb said: "Death is something that will happen to all of us eventually and with recent world events, this has proved now, more than ever, to be true. However for many people thinking about death can be incredibly hard. Our research clearly illustrates that we, as a nation, are apathetic about making a will and planning for the inevitable."

Ian continues: "Lack of end-of-life planning can leave our loved ones in a very difficult position - not knowing our last wishes and vulnerable to the complications of dying intestate. Without a Will, your estate and assets simply may not go to those who you would wish to benefit from them. ‘Once I've Gone' was established to provide members with access to professional legal and financial advice to help them put their affairs in order. We also offer a highly secure Vault in which members can store their important documents FREE of charge. This can then be accessed by a loved one in the event of a member's passing."

As well as assisting in end-of-life planning, Once I've Gone also provides members with a platform to securely store messages, video recordings, funeral wishes, favourite songs, readings and more in a Vault which a nominated loved one can access in the event of death.

Over 2000 people have signed up for the service, including Rob James, 48 of Devon.

Rob comments: "My dad very sadly passed away recently and left us with lots of questions regarding what his final wishes would have been. As a result of this experience I was delighted to find ‘Once I've Gone'. I have uploaded my will and last wishes, and left a personal message for my wife and children to read when I have passed over, which I hope will bring them comfort during hard times. I want everyone to be clear about my love for them and how I wish my possessions and property to be handled in the event of my death. Using this website will hopefully help my family to avoid the uncertainty of not knowing my last wishes, as we had with my father."

For more information about the service or to find out about how to leave a final farewell message, please visithttps://onceivegone.com.

ENDS

* Survey undertaken in December 2015 by Once I've Gone investigating opinions upon various aspects of end of life planning. Data based upon a survey sample 370 responses. Full report available upon request

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW WITH IAN DIBB PLEASE CONTACT:

Nikki Proctor - Once I've Gone Press Officer:nikkiproctor4@gmail.com

Tel: 07921 189048

About Once I've Gone:

Once I've Gone is a business designed to help make life easier for those left behind in the event of a person's death. It is a unique tool for people to record, upload and securely store their personal and financial affairs/estate, record their final wishes, leave personal gifts and messages, whilst also creating a legacy to be passed on to future generations.

It was the experience of the company's founder and CEO Ian Dibb, that helped to create the website. The family were unsure as to their sister's and mother's final wishes and also the location of their important legal and financial documents, including their will, and insurance policies. This led to an extremely difficult time for the family as they were left to make critical decisions, at a time when they were dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.

Once I've Gone supports the following charities:

BosombuddiesUKhttp://bosombuddiesuk.com- the team took part in a fire walk, raising over £2000 for the charity

Cornwall Hospice Care. The team took part in a skydive raising £1800 for the charity

Walking With The Wounded. http://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/ Three Peaks Challenge and Cumbrian Challenge raising £3500

Coppafeel.https://coppafeel.org/

Once I've gone is partnered with:

Fairstone Financial Planning

Fairstone Estate Planning

Golden Leaves Funeral Plans

Life Care PS

Sikh Wills

Simply Ceremonies

Avalon Funeral Plans

Trusted Wills

Safe Hands Funeral Plans

Karrek Financial

Charles French & Co Solicitors

Paul Bourton Funeral Directors

Reid Wills