Blog

Category: Wills

Where do you keep your Will?

Where do you keep your Will?

You’ve finally made (or updated) your will, but where are you going to keep it? Storage of wills is REALLY important. Executors/family must be able to find the will when someone dies. It’s important to make sure it has not been damaged or lost. A signed will is an...

Cohabiting couples – Fastest growing family type

Cohabiting couples – Fastest growing family type

…..but what happens when your partner dies? Many people still believe in the so called ‘common law marriage myth’, which is the erroneous belief that after a certain amount of time of living together, the law treats cohabitants as if they were married. This is not a...

Will your online accounts and assets be lost when you die?

Will your online accounts and assets be lost when you die?

When someone dies, online providers will not allow another person to access their account or take it over, but they can take steps to close down or deactivate accounts, or pay out assets. Most institutions will only communicate with someone who is legally appointed as...

Category: Power of attorney

When consent from next of kin is not enough

When consent from next of kin is not enough

It is a common misconception that your next of kin will be able to make decisions and deal with important matters on your behalf, if you are unable to do it yourself. Sadly, it’s often not possible, particularly when dealing with finance and property matters or health...

What happens if a couple have separate finances?

What happens if a couple have separate finances?

This could affect you. Separate accounts? Separate property? Separate children? These days, it’s not only our families that are more complicated, but also our finances.  It’s quite common for couples to separate some or all of their finances. As well as a joint bank...

Category: Probate

Who pays Inheritance tax?

Who pays Inheritance tax?

Inheritance Tax receipts increase: will you be affected? Figures recently published by HMRC show that Inheritance Tax (IHT) receipts between April 2021 and March 2022 were up by £700m to £6.1bn. This represents a 13% increase compared to the previous year. HMRC has...

Do your debts die with you?

Do your debts die with you?

Myth: All your debts will be written off when you die Mortgages, loans, credit cards, car finance…..whatever the debt, there’s a myth where people think their debts are written off when they die. But that’s not the case.  Any assets you had before your death,...

What is the 7-year rule?

What is the 7-year rule?

The 7-year rule only applies to liability for Inheritance Tax (IHT). If your total estate at death is valued at more than the Nil Rate Band (NRB)*, there will be Inheritance Tax (IHT) of 40% due on the remaining amount. Can you give away your money before you die?...

Category: Blog

Funeral cost: £4000 and rising!

Funeral cost: £4000 and rising!

Few of us want to think about when we are no longer here.  However, more and more people are now coming to realise that planning – and paying for – their funeral arrangements in advance is a huge help to their family and will also save costs. In 2017 the average...

Don’t be one of the 86%!

Don’t be one of the 86%!

Once you sign your Wills, most people give a sigh of relief that ‘everything is now sorted’. However, outdated legal documents can cause havoc on your family wealth and personal representatives. A recent consumer survey* found that 86% of respondents who had Wills and...

What can you do to cut the cost of a funeral?

The cost of an average UK funeral is steadily rising far in excess of inflation, and this trend looks set to continue in the future. If you are setting money aside in a savings account or savings plan, it will be pretty impossible to match the cost of funeral...

Category: News

Where do you keep your Will?

Where do you keep your Will?

You’ve finally made (or updated) your will, but where are you going to keep it? Storage of wills is REALLY important. Executors/family must be able to find the will when someone dies. It’s important to make sure it has not been damaged or lost. A signed will is an...

Cohabiting couples – Fastest growing family type

Cohabiting couples – Fastest growing family type

…..but what happens when your partner dies? Many people still believe in the so called ‘common law marriage myth’, which is the erroneous belief that after a certain amount of time of living together, the law treats cohabitants as if they were married. This is not a...

A CAUTIONERY TALE: Storing your Will

A CAUTIONERY TALE: Storing your Will

Each year millions of Wills and important legal documents are lost, costing families millions of £s and resulting in unnecessary family crisis and disputes. If you have gone to all the time and trouble to make your Will, you may think you’ve got everything covered....

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