Estate planning for the next generation: Blended families and second marriages Modern families are changing beyond the traditional structure, with needs becoming ever more complex as structures change and families grow. One example of this is when people remarry, sometimes becoming what is known as a “blended family”. These issues can add complexity to estate …
Question: Can I get Inheritance Tax Relief? Answer: Yes – Education & Planning is the answer HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recently revealed that they had collected £5.5bn in Inheritance Tax (IHT) between April 2021 and February 2022. This shows that IHT has continued to “prove its worth to HMRC”, as quoted by Andrew Tully, …
Making a Will is a vital part of any estate planning exercise. Sharing wealth with family and other loved ones in the most tax-efficient way possible is a priority for most people. Their aim is to provide for partners and ensure that children are supported financially to achieve their goals, whether those include buying a …
It’s never easy, going through a divorce process can be extremely stressful for everyone. There are lots of areas to think about and one of these is likely to be what you should do to protect your hard-earned money. It is vital to have a suitably drafted up to date Will in place to ensure …
Usually, there can be up to £10,000 to £15,000 in the bank before Probate is needed but this isn’t always the case. All banks and building societies have different thresholds for releasing funds without a Grant of Probate. Depending on the size of the estate, banks will ask for a Grant of Probate before closing …
Traditionally the emphatic answer to this question was NO. But in recent years we have seen the increase in the number of long-term relationships where there is no marriage or civil partnership, coupled with an increasing number of divorces and second relationships all backed up by changes in the law that give increasing equality to …
In most cases, a family’s property will represent a significant proportion of their estate. However, problems could arise if the deceased had allowed a child to live in the property up until their death. While the child living in the property may want to continue to do so and may not have the means to …
Under the 1975 Act, a testator (a person who makes a Will), dies domiciled in England and Wales. They could be presented with a claim for reasonable provision from the following: The spouse or civil partner of the deceased; A former spouse or former civil partner who has not remarried or formed a subsequent civil …
Broadly speaking, a Trust is an arrangement under which property i.e., land, cash, investments or some sort of rights such as copyrights, is held by a person or organisation on behalf of one or more people. The people holding the property are called “the Trustees” and the people on whose behalf the property is held …
Who needs to use the Court of Protection? The short answer to this is someone who has not already arranged a Power of Attorney. In our experience this falls into two camps; the apathetic and people are who are in denial about their own potential frailty. It is this latter group where financial advisers & …
