AN ESSENTIAL ITEM TO ADD TO YOUR HOLIDAY CHECKLIST – HAVE YOU GOT A VALID WILL? Picture the scene: you’re packing for your holiday. You’re excited and can’t wait to get away from it all. Your sojourn in the sun, sightseeing in the city or swooshing down the slopes is almost upon you. It’s quality time for you and your family and it’s great to all be getting away together for some R&R. So, you’d think that, in this flurry of pre-holiday activity, having a valid Will in place would be the last thing on people’s minds. Yet, the opposite […]
The new inheritance tax allowance and how it affects you
The Residence Nil Rate Band Allowance What is it? The Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) is a new allowance for inheritance tax that came into force on 6th April 2017. It’s an additional inheritance tax-free amount that certain individuals can use alongside their existing Nil Rate Band (NRB) allowance. How does it work? At the moment, everyone has an NRB allowance of £325,000. This means that when you die, if the value of your estate, and any gift made within seven years of death, is below this amount, there will be no inheritance tax to pay. The new RNRB is […]
Writing a Will: It’s not as hard as you think
WRITING A WILL: IT’S NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK In my 12+ years as a solicitor, I drafted Wills most days. My clients came from all walks of life and came with different personal and financial circumstances. Because I’ve had so much practice at drafting Wills, they’re second nature to me. I do though understand that it’s not the same for you. But trust me – you don’t need to feel that writing a Will is frightening or difficult. Yes, it’s true that some Wills need to have trusts and other special arrangements for families. But for most people, […]
Lasting Powers of Attorney – FAQs
I have recently spoken at a few networking events about Lasting Powers of Attorney and I thought I should put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!) and go through some of the common questions I am asked and give you my answers. I hope that it will help you to make an informed decision as to whether you should have a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) in place. WHAT IS A POWER OF ATTORNEY? An LPA is a legal document where you appoint people (your Attorneys) to act on your behalf when you are no longer physically or mentally […]
Girls About Town – Radio Interview on Wills
Last week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the lovely Girls About Town on Swindon 105.5 radio. I was discussing the importance of having a Will in place and came up with some common questions that I am asked by my clients. You can listen to the interview here. ARE WILLS ONLY FOR OLDER PEOPLE? One of the things that you can do in your Will is appoint legal guardians for your children who are under eighteen. So if you are a young family it is important to have a Will. Many people think it is something to […]