What is the Concept of Reasonable Provision and How Could it Affect Your Legacy?
Discover how gifts and transfers you make in life can affect the inheritance tax your estate pays when you are gone.
Wills
Wills articles
What is the Statutory Legacy Increase and What Could it Mean for Me?
With the government’s recent increase of the Statutory Legacy, we examine the Statutory legacy and how it could affect passing your property on after death.
Does it Matter ‘Who Dies First’ with Your Inheritance Plans?
Could the order in which you and your partner die make a difference your loved ones’ inheritance? We look at a recent case where this had a dramatic effect.
Death in the Digital World
Digital assets such as social media pages, photos, music and games can have great sentimental and financial value but what happens to them when you die?
What Happens to My Loyalty Points When I Die?
Loyalty points are often something we collect without thinking. We scan our col__cards and make our purchases – only dimly aware of the points balance slowly ticking up in the background. It seems it’s very common to lose sight of how much we have accrued. Research reported in the Telegraph suggested that there were nearly …
Making Contingent Gifts in Your Will
Making a Will is essentially making a plan for the future. Whilst your Will only takes effect after you’ve gone, the provisions of your Will can make a huge difference to the lives of the loved ones who survive you. It instructs your executors on how you wish your estate to be divided and whom …
Myth-busters #11 – I’m married or in a civil partnership, so if I die without a Will my spouse just gets everything
This is one of the most common misconceptions we hear from people who do not have a Will, and do not think they need one. If you die without making a Will, then the Intestacy Rules will apply to who receives your property and other assets (called your ‘estate’). This means that your estate could …
Myth-busters #10 – I can leave family members out of my Will and there’s nothing they can do about it
This is partially true, because here in England and Wales, we have the freedom to dispose of our assets in any way we choose in our Wills. Unlike many other countries, we don’t have any ‘forced heirship’ rules governing who must receive what after someone has died. You can therefore make a Will leaving your …
What Should I Do About a Hostile or Ineffective Executor?
A hostile, unreasonable or ineffective executor can be a serious problem when someone’s estate is being administered. Executors are people named in a Will who have been appointed to administer an estate. In other words, the person who has made the Will has specifically chosen them to carry out these important duties after that person …
What Should I Do About a Hostile or Ineffective Executor? Read More »
Myth-busters #7 – Someone with a Dementia diagnosis cannot make a Will or Power of Attorney
In many cases, a diagnosis of Dementia does not prevent someone from making or updating their Will, or putting Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) in place. In fact, in our experience, receiving a diagnosis like this, tends to be the nudge that people need to put their affairs in order. Whether or not you can …