In this post we are going to be talking about lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs, what it is and what you do with it when you've got one. A lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs kind of does what it says on the tin. It [...]
This post is discussing lifetime gifting, giving things away whilst you're still alive. Making gifts during your lifetime is a really good way of planning for inheritance tax. Each year you can give away up to £3,000 free of any inheritance tax liability. In the first year, you make gifts you can [...]
This post is about making your own Will and the pitfalls. A question we are often asked is can I make my own Will? The short answer is yes, you can. The real answer is, why would you? Research by the Legal Services Board consumer panel found that 97% of professionally-drawn Wills [...]
What happens if somebody dies when no guardians have been appointed? When you make a Will, one of the most important things you do is appoint Testamentary Guardians for your children if you die. Those are the people who will look after your children legally, if you're no longer around to look [...]
In this post we are discussing Wills for blended families. You might start by asking what a blended family is, and the truth is more and more of us are in relationships these days, where perhaps we're in a second or third marriage, and our spouse or partner has children from a [...]
Sideways Disinheritance is a phenomenon that occurs when one partner dies leaving children and their spouse or partner subsequently remarried. Remarriage by a spouse or partner who's been previously widowed will invalidate the Will that they left with that first partner. Their first partner's wishes may therefore not be respected and what [...]
In this post, we are looking at what happens if you die without a Will when you are unmarried but in a relationship. Dying without a Will if you're unmarried or living in a long term relationship is one of the worst things that can happen. Your partner is not entitled to [...]
In this post we are focussing on the issue of dying without a Will if you're married. Dying without a Will is technically called intestacy. Intestacy are the rules that are set down by the government, which says, who will inherit what you leave behind if you haven't made a Will. Quite [...]
Video: Will Writing Tips - 10 Most Important Things Your Will Does In this Will writing tips video and post from Will and probate Services, we look at the ten most important things that you can do with your Will. Number one, your Will is obviously the document that directs who inherits [...]
We're going to talk about divorce and what effect that has on your Will. Unfortunately, half of marriages these days end in divorce. Quite often there's a valid Will in place, which leaves everything to your spouse who is now your former spouse. So a question I'm asked really regularly is what [...]
