Make a will 'to avoid probate red tape'

Making a will should help individuals minimise "probate red tape", which may strike where remarriage affects normal will-writing procedures.

The Financial Times reveals children of unmarried parents with links to non-Anglo-Saxon countries might be disinherited if either the mother or the father takes a spouse, with similar problems potentially affecting offspring from dissolved former marriages.

Trust wills may also be useful for ensuring Briton's wishes are respected, as such holding structures could offer more probate control and help mitigate the effects of inheritance taxation.

In the European Union, "illegitimate" children generally now treated the same in legal terms as those whose parents are wedded, but people who have specific plans for their assets could find making a will is essential if the arrangement is to be upheld.

Money Week recently observed not drawing up a testament can cause "chaos" for family and loved ones, indicating the process is valuable for all Britons regardless of personal circumstance.