Lasting Powers of Attorney: Making Sense of Attorneys Making Gifts For You
The Court of Protection has recently clarified rules about when and how Attorneys under a Lasting Power of Attorney can make gifts using the Donor’s assets.
General Interest
All About Wills – Podcast
Our own Rachel Roche sits down with Andrew Gray from Truth Legal to discuss Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, the Court of Protection, and many other bits and pieces about planning for the future. The main points we cover If you would like to listen to any particular points in our discussion, skip to the …
Cohabiting couples: your rights under the IPFDA
In previous articles, (here and here) we discussed how the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (IPFDA) can allow claims to be made against someone’s estate. Such claims seek ‘reasonable financial provision’ from the estate and, if successful, can alter the effects of someone’s Will. They can also alter what happens when there is …
You Can’t Take It With You: Claiming Financial Provision From An Estate Does Not Pass On Death
When someone believes they have been disinherited or ‘cut out of a Will’ it can lead to all kinds of strong emotions flaring up. This is one of the reasons why crime writers love using such events as a motive for murder! In reality, however, there are legal courses of action people can take. One …
Lasting Powers of Attorney: Can I Sell Property on Someone’s Behalf?
There are many reasons why a person might wish, or need, to sell their property; perhaps to downsize to a smaller house or to help finance residential care. This is easily done if the person is willing and mentally capable of dealing with the paperwork, admin and other demands of the sale. But what if …
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Highly Strung: A Family Dispute over a Harpist’s Will
Another legal challenge to a Will has hit the headlines recently; Iain Hayward brought a claim disputing the validity of a Will made by his late father, Jack. Whilst Iain was to inherit a number of items, including an antique harp, his grounds for complaint were that none of his late father’s £1.3 million fortune …
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A New Way to Save Inheritance Tax in 2017: the Residence Nil Rate Band
We are always being asked about ways to reduce the amount of inheritance tax that has to be paid on death. However, whilst tax-saving methods can make a lot of financial sense, they don’t exactly make a lot of headlines. Finding out about the various reliefs and exemptions can be difficult. Nonetheless, it is important …
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Protection to the Vulnerable: The lesser-known benefits of using a Solicitor for your Will
There is no legal requirement for a solicitor to be involved when making a Will; ‘Do-It-Yourself’ Will kits and online services provided by unqualified or unregulated businesses are commonplace. Yet a recent case has highlighted just how vital a role that solicitors can play in the Will-making process. Whilst the benefits of having a highly-qualified …
Can I give assets away to avoid Care Home fees?
All of us are getting older. Whilst this may not seem like the most cheery message to be starting a post with, it leads on to the fact that any one of us could live in a care home in future. With that in mind, it is important for everyone to be aware of the …
Are you paid to look after a loved one?
New guidance has been issued by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to help Deputies who are looking after the affairs of a loved one, in all aspects of making family care payments. That is, where the appointed Deputy or someone else connected to the person who is being looked after, is being paid …