Guardian: Wills in the childfree era.

Willing my friends to have a holiday on me

With some estimates suggesting that as many as one in five women are choosing to be childless, and with the longevity of relationships in apparent decline, the winds of change are reaching the world of wills. Many people now over the age of 50 have valuable assets - mainly tied up in their homes, pension arrangements and general savings - and quite a few are without dependents.

Those who do nothing and outlive their parents will probably, in effect, be passing their assets on to surviving siblings or half-siblings or, if none of these remain, to the Treasury. So unless you positively want to throw in more to the state coffers, start thinking about which friends, charities or other causes dear to your heart you would like to inherit your worldly goods.

childfree