Posted on March 7, 2019 by
AdminIf, like most of us, you don’t have an autobiography and you’re not planning on releasing your personal memoirs anytime soon, your will is the most detailed document you’ll ever have about your life.
This one, all-encompassing legal document captures what should happen to your life’s earnings, accumulated assets, the family home, your sentimental possessions, how your beloved pet corgi or fish that refuses to smile back should be cared for, what your religious preferences are, any last wishes, and what you’d like to happen to your earthly body when you’re gone. Your will is, in effect, your opportunity to have the last say. Whether you’re stubborn or not, that’s a protection we should all want.
Read more...Posted on November 30, 2018 by
AdminQueen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, sadly passed away in August and did so without leaving a Will. This might come as a surprise to many given her superstar status and assets worth an estimated £62.3 million. Without a Will in place, local law is dictating how her estate is being divided, rather than this being her own choice. This is further complicated because one of her sons has special needs that require financial and medical support for the rest of his life. The process of administering her estate could take years to resolve because of this lack of clear division and potential claims to the inheritance, and will likely play out in public.
Read more...If not, what has stopped you creating one up to this point? Does the idea of creating a Will feel like too much hassle? Does the thought of talking about it just make you feel awkward and uncomfortable? Do you find it difficult to raise the subject with elderly relatives?
Read more...Our previous blog article,
‘More wacky wills’, highlighted a few of the more inventive instructions that have appeared in wills over the years.
Many people postpone going to a solicitor because making a will means dealing with things that are going to happen after they die. It’s not a particularly enticing thought.
Read more...William Jennens died in 1798 with a vast personal fortune of well over £1million (worth around £200million today). He was an only child and a bachelor who lived alone, so his extended family were naturally intrigued to hear the reading of the will to see how they’d fared.
Read more...They say that the two things you can’t avoid are death and paying taxes, and even the former doesn’t stop the latter. Inheritance tax used to be a tax on the very rich, but today it may affect many families.
Read more...Writing your will won’t be the most uplifting moment in your life, but it’s vital in securing your family's financial future.
Read more...Unless you are a lawyer, or some strange legal hanger on, the news that the Legal Services Board (LSB) has formally asked the government to regulate will writing has probably passed you by. Most normal people do not think about regulation (although I confess I have no evidence for this assertion) and if they do, they probably assume it is already there. They aren’t likely to waste valuable minutes reading about it when the future queen of England has been snapped in only her bikini.
Read more...They say the only things certain in life are death and taxes (unless of course you are one of the super rich and can effectively avoid the taxes). Most of us aren’t particularly prepared for either, although fortunately (or unfortunately) it is almost impossible to forget to pay your taxes.
Read more...Here’s a cheery thought as the Christmas and new year holiday recedes from memory, apparently
more people die in January than any other month of the year. It seems that
divorce rates also spike in January. Whether these events are related is not clear, although the reasons for the high number of marriage breakups just after Christmas are more obvious than the reasons for dying.
