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A financial expert has said wills should be reviewed "every five years" and warned far too many people are still not making arrangements for after they die.
Kevin Morgan, managing director of Consilium Financial Planning, said there are "far too many" 'intestacy' cases.
The intestacy laws in England and Wales state that, when someone dies without writing a will, their spouse or civil partner will receive £125,000 from their spouse's estate. They will also get interest on half of the remainder of the estate.
If there are children over 18, they will get the other half of the estate, but if they are minors, then this half will be put into trust.
If there are no children but other surviving relatives, the surviving spouse receives the first £200,000.
But these rates haven't been changed since 1993 and, as a result, surviving parents are urging for an update in the law.
Mr Morgan said: "In our view wills should be reviewed every five years and certainly on divorce or other important lifestyle changes. A good start would be to ensure everyone had one."
