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18th June 2019
"What happens to a property when someone dies?" is a very popular question and it's important that we all understand the answer when it comes to estate administration. When someone passes away, the responsibility o...
10th June 2019
The iconic musician, Prince, died at his home in April 2016 without having made a Will. The singer was twice divorced and had no children or surviving parents. It took 12 months to determine his legal heirs. These b...
3rd June 2019
Did you read the report in The Times regarding a couple who were faced with an exorbitant legal bill of £115,000 which was removed' from a modest £300,000 estate? The deceased, the father of Paul ...
28th May 2019
A record number of inheritance disputes are reaching the High Court despite rising court costs and the risk involved with losing a case. The number of cases brought to the High Court under the Inheritance Act in 201...
20th May 2019
All names are changed to protect client identity. One of our consultants met Mr & Mrs Green recently. Both are in their second marriage and both first marriages ended in divorce. Mr Green has two children (Andr...
13th May 2019
If an executor of a Will loses mental capacity, this can cause problems and delay in administering the estate. It is advisable when making a Will to appoint more than one executor, and for at least one of the execut...
8th May 2019
Recently published official statistics from Public Health England revealed that in 2018, there were 10.1 English care home beds for every 100 people aged 75 years and older and 4.9 nursing home beds for every 100 pe...
29th April 2019
The following case highlights just how important it is to keep a Will up to date - particularly if your personal or financial circumstances change. In this case, the Will was challenged. A claim was brought on beha...
23rd April 2019
Jack and Jill are in their late sixties and are happily married with two children: Bill and Ben. Bill is happily married but the business he owns is under some financial pressure and he is rather worried because the...
15th April 2019
Around six million people have experience of acting as the Executor of a Will but just 4% realise that they are legally responsible for the accurate distribution of the estate that is entrusted to them. Past resear...
8th April 2019
On the 9th of December 2018, Gerald Cotten died unexpectedly at the age of 30. Gerald was the Chief Executive Officer of QuadrigaCX; a Canadian cryptocurrency exchange platform which allowed the trading of Bitcoin, ...
1st April 2019
It will soon be the end of the tax year and an opportune moment to review your Estate Planning. Does your Will need updating? Have the circumstances of any of your beneficiaries changed? Could there be a better way...
25th March 2019
A Nil Rate Band Discretionary Trust Will used to be effective for reducing Inheritance Tax. In certain circumstances that will continue to be the case particularly for partners who are living together but are not i...
18th March 2019
Once deciding to have a Will created it is important to have it signed correctly. You should read over your Will just before signing it so that you are sure it reflects your wishes. If you and your spouse/partner a...
11th March 2019
Estate planning is not simply the act of writing a Will for when you pass away; it is about planning ahead and protecting your assets for both you and your loved ones. The changing family structures in England ...
4th March 2019
If you are the parent of a disabled or vulnerable child have you considered what will happen when you and your partner/spouse pass away? If you die without a valid Will, your assets will pass in accordance with the...
25th February 2019
If you are named as an executor in a Will, you have the responsibility of ensuring the deceased's estate is distributed correctly. The completion of Estate Administration can be a very complex procedure, especially...
18th February 2019
Here are some interesting statistics from people interviewed who have not written a Will: 18% feel that they don't have anything of value to leave behind 21% were unaware that if a person is separated from their...
11th February 2019
We all think "it will never happen to me" but dementia statistics make worrying reading. The Alzheimer's Society report that over 537,000 people have a dementia diagnosis in the UK. However, it is believed that arou...
4th February 2019
Do step children inherit on intestacy, where there's no Will? Where a Will leaves assets to children, would that gift include step children? Often these questions are asked by grandparents, happy to see their wealt...
28th January 2019
The case of Martin v Williams concerned the right of a cohabitee to make a claim for financial provision from her partner's estate. It serves as a useful reminder of the problems that can arise when a testator fails...
21st January 2019
Most people only think that the elderly need to contemplate creating a Will and discussing the inevitable. The general consensus is that estate planning is only for elderly people, but the future is unpredictable an...
14th January 2019
In a recent high profile case relating to the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) 1975 Act, a 79 year old lady, Joan Thompson, advanced a claim against her late partner, Wynford Hodge's estate. Mr Hod...
7th January 2019
Have you checked what systems are in place regarding your digital assets when you pass away? Automatic features such as birthday updates can be very upsetting for loved ones. So what are the policies of the large s...