Young People and Wills - A Growing Need
It has now been just over two years since former One Direction member, Liam Payne, sadly passed away at just 31. This tragic incident caused grief all over the United Kingdom as fans, family, and friends came together to pay their respects
It may come as a shock considering Liam's fame and wealth, but the administration of his estate is still yet to be completed two years later. This is what often happens when someone passes away without a valid Will in place. His partner has no legal claim to any part of the estate because they were not married.
This anniversary is an upsetting reminder that the worst can happen at any time. Young people are not who we tend to consider when it comes to Estate Planning, as it is more expected of those over 50 to start thinking about their Wills. This should not be the case, unless you are happy with leaving your loved ones with the Rules of Intestacy and attempting to distribute your assets without knowing what you truly wish for, you need a Will.
More Young People Are Seeking to Protect their Assets
Through our own research, we can inform you that there has been a rise in young people having their Will written. Here at Simpler Law, we have seen almost a 300% increase in adults under the age of 34 approaching us to have their Will written since our founding 10 years ago. It appears that in recent years, young people have been following the trend of becoming more 'money-wise', protecting and investing their money, which could be a reason for this increase. It's also worth examining the reason young people are becoming financially savvy earlier on. Whether it is out of necessity in the current economic climate or because more resources and advice are available via the internet.
However, despite this large increase in interest, young adults still only make up 2% of our clients. So, while it seems that more young people are preparing for their inevitable future to protect their loved ones, they only make up a slight proportion.
Discussions With the Experts
To further understand this significant increase, our Chief Legal Officer and Director, Helen Claydon took to the airwaves on the 16th of October 2026. Having previously been on Share Radio, Talking Money, and Modern Mindset, Helen is experienced and known across the broadcast sector.
She is the ideal spokesperson to offer her expertise on this matter, with almost two decades in the Estate Planning industry and the first female Industry Champion.
Offering both legal knowledge and advice, she spoke on Sky News Radio, Hits Radio and other stations of note, and in one case pointed out that "publicity surrounding that (Liam Payne's passing) has really had an impact on the younger generation." While we can only speculate, it is possible that news such has this has encouraged young people to better protect their assets.
Here are some of the results of the media day we held investigating this information:
During these broadcasts, we introduced another speaker, one of our clients, Gabby, 26, who shared her experience in having a Will written as a young person. Gabby and her partner are unmarried, and becoming aware of everything they would leave behind should the other pass away, they believed the best option was to protect each other and their loved ones with a Will. Also, in her own words:
"The Rules of Intestacy just SUCK"
Although planning to get married in the future, which renders any previous Will invalid, the pair will still be having new Wills written to ensure their wishes are kept up to date.
More Young People are Getting Wills, Should You Join Them?
We understand that it is very unlikely you have as much to leave as Liam Payne did, but what you do have, we are sure you worked hard for. It is only right for your efforts to go to supporting loved ones of your choice when you can no longer be there to do so.
Having your Will written will never be the most exciting day of your life, but it doesn't have to be a daunting or expensive process either. It's not just about you, or what will happen to you, it's about your loved ones and the heartache you're protecting them from by expressing your wishes legally.
If this is something you would like to sort for peace of mind, please get in touch.
