Wills &  Estate

If you have minor children or just want to make sure your assets and money are managed effectively, a Trust is a great way of assuring loved ones are catered for with the oversight of dedicated Trustees appointed by you.

By creating a legal arrangement via your Will with a Trust, you can set specific instruction on how the assets within that Trust are managed and gifted to the beneficiaries.

We can advise on the various Trusts available, from Bare Trusts gifting directly and in full upon a certain event or Discretionary Trusts by where your appointed Trustees have flexibility on how and when gifts are made.

Estate planning is not just about passing on money when you die – it is also about enjoying life now and ensuring you have enough to live on. This is why it is so important to start planning early.

We can show you how much money you will need, help you to pass on assets in the most effective way, and work with you to reduce or manage an inheritance tax bill.

You may want your money to be used for a particular reason, such as paying for school fees, a first house deposit or just want to make sure your money stays within the family. We can give you advice to ensure your money ends up with the people you want, for the reasons you choose.

Are you worried that your partner or children will be left with a large Inheritance Tax Bill? Are you aware of the ‘Nil Rate Band’?

We can work with you to structure your estate in the most effective way to prevent loved ones from receiving that large tax bill and making sure they benefit from your gifts in full.

There are multiple exemptions that you may not be aware of and various ways of gifting during your lifetime that secures your assets using a tax efficient and legal approach.

One of the biggest problems a family can face is when a loved one loses capacity to make financial and health decisions themself, and they do not have Power of Attorney in place. This can lead to drawn out processes and even court intervention when all that you want is to help that person make critical decisions.

By putting a Lasting Power of Attorney in place now, you can prevent that occurrence from ever happening and we can support with setting that up.

A Lasting Power of Attorney can be flexible to your needs, bringing your Attorneys into action at your preferred time for both financial and health affairs.

Was the difference between Joint Tenancy and Tenants in Common explained to you when buying your house? As Joint Tenants, your share of an owned property will automatically pass to the other joint owner upon death by law. You cannot leave your share to anyone else, even in a Will.

This does not always align with people’s wishes, and it therefore may be a better option to own the property as Tenants in Common. Imagine if you bought a house with a new partner as Joint Tenants and you had children from a previous relationship. If you were to die first, the entire property would form part of your partner’s estate and your children may not benefit in any way from that property in the future.

We can discuss your options and arrange for a Tenancy to be severed to ensure your share of property is passed to your preferred beneficiaries.