Where should you keep your Letter of Wishes? The most important thing is not the exact location, but making sure the right people know it exists and can access it when needed. A Letter of Wishes can contain personal guidance, farewell preferences and practical information, but it can only help your family if they can find it.
Many people spend time preparing important documents but forget one simple question: what happens if nobody knows where they are kept?
Should a Letter of Wishes be kept with your Will?
A common choice is to keep your Letter of Wishes alongside your Will. This makes sense because the two documents are closely connected.
Your Will provides your legal instructions, while your Letter of Wishes provides personal guidance and additional information for the people managing your affairs.
Keeping them together can make it easier for your executor or family members to understand the full picture.
For example, your Will may explain who should receive certain assets, while your Letter of Wishes might explain:
- Why you made certain decisions
- The meaning behind sentimental belongings
- Your preferences for your farewell
- Important practical information
- Messages you would like shared with loved ones
Keeping both documents together helps ensure the personal details are not overlooked.
Where are common places to store a Letter of Wishes?
There is no single correct place to keep your Letter of Wishes. The best option depends on your circumstances and what will be easiest for your family to locate.
Common options include:
With your Will documents
Many people keep their Letter of Wishes with their Will, either in a home filing system or with their legal documents.
This can be a simple and practical approach because anyone looking for your Will is more likely to find your Letter of Wishes too.
With your solicitor or estate planning professional
Some people choose to store their Will with their solicitor or another professional adviser. If you do this, you can ask whether they are also able to keep a copy of your Letter of Wishes.
It is worth remembering that your Letter of Wishes is a personal document, so you may prefer to keep control of the original and only provide copies where appropriate.
In a secure home location
If you keep your documents at home, choose somewhere secure but discoverable.
A locked filing cabinet, safe or clearly labelled document folder can work well. The key consideration is making sure trusted people know where to look.
A document that is perfectly secure but impossible to find may create unnecessary stress for your family.
Digitally stored
Some people choose to keep a digital copy of their Letter of Wishes.
If you store it online, consider:
- Using a secure storage service
- Keeping access details with your digital estate information
- Making sure trusted people know how to access it
- Keeping a backup copy
If your Letter of Wishes includes sensitive information, such as details about accounts or digital access, take care with how and where it is stored.
Who should know where your Letter of Wishes is kept?
The people who need to know will depend on your circumstances, but usually this may include:
- Your executor
- Your spouse or partner
- Close family members
- Anyone responsible for caring for dependants or pets
- Your solicitor or estate planning professional
You do not necessarily need to give everyone a copy. However, it is helpful that at least one trusted person knows where it can be found.
Should you give your family a copy of your Letter of Wishes?
This is a personal decision.
Some people prefer their Letter of Wishes to be read only after their death. Others choose to share parts of it with family members while they are still alive.
There can be benefits to discussing certain wishes in advance, especially where your preferences may require planning or where family members may have questions.
For example, if you have detailed wishes about caring for a pet, supporting a dependent family member, or distributing sentimental belongings, talking about these things beforehand may provide clarity.
However, you may also want some parts of your Letter of Wishes to remain private until the appropriate time.
How often should you update your Letter of Wishes?
A Letter of Wishes is not something you write once and forget forever.
Your circumstances and preferences can change over time. It is a good idea to review it after major life events such as:
- Marriage or separation
- The birth of children or grandchildren
- Changes to your Will
- Moving house
- Changes to important relationships
- Changes to your funeral preferences
- Changes to your digital accounts or subscriptions
A quick review every few years can help ensure the information is still accurate.
What happens if nobody can find your Letter of Wishes?
If your family cannot find your Letter of Wishes, they may never know that it exists.
They may still be able to follow your Will, but they could miss the personal guidance you wanted to provide.
This may mean they are left making decisions without knowing your preferences about things such as your farewell, sentimental belongings, pets, digital accounts or personal messages.
The simple step of telling a trusted person where your Letter of Wishes is kept can make a significant difference.
A Letter of Wishes is created to help the people you leave behind. Making sure it can be found is an important part of that process.