Kings Court Trust’s latest blog post discusses the importance of creating a digital estate plan.
When considering what goes into an estate plan, some of the first things that often come to mind are who will inherit property, who may care for a dependent child or what should happen with various personal belongings. But what about one’s digital assets? It’s not uncommon for people to exclude digital assets from a […]
Certainty Expert Webinars presents Gifting of P’s assets – avoiding the pitfalls
We are pleased to welcome Mitra Mann, Senior Associate, Tracy Ashby, Partner and Danielle Pawson, Associate at Wright Hassall who will be presenting our upcoming Certainty Expert Webinar on Tuesday 23rd November at 12.00pm, titled ‘Gifting of P’s assets – avoiding the pitfalls’. Over the last few years, the OPG has received many concerns and […]
Video Will Witnessing: What happens next?
The Law Society of England and Wales has launched a survey to inform its response to future consultations on extending the witnessing of wills via video beyond the end of January 2022. In July 2020 the Ministry of Justice announced that temporary legislation would be enacted to legalise the witnessing of wills via video in […]
Awards winners have their say…
Two and a half weeks on from the highly successful British Wills and Probate Awards, sponsored by Executor Solutions there is still a warm afterglow around the event. Social media is awash with certificates and trophies sitting pride of place and the gallery is now available on The British Wills and Probate Awards website. Today’s […]
IHT UK’s “most hated” tax
The results from a survey of 2,000 people has found that Inheritance Tax is the UK’s most hated tax. 1 in 4 respondents said that they felt it to be the most hated tax, despite just 4% of UK deaths resulting in an IHT liability. Taxes on income took second place, including income tax and […]
Rising inheritance disputes set to diminish estate values, experts warn
A recent spike in contentious probate disputes is costing families their inheritance. According to research conducted by the private wealth law firm Boodle Hatfield, the number of contentious probate and Will challenge cases in the UK is higher than ever. The firm reported that 192 cases were brought by those challenging a deceased’s estate in […]
HMRC announces update to return of estate information process (IHT205)
Due to measures put in place to help stop the spread of Covid-19 HMRC has changed the way they deal with Inheritance Tax returns. If a person died on or after 6 April 2011 and the estate is unlikely to pay Inheritance Tax use of an IHT205 form is required. Until further notice, HMRC will […]
Collaborative legacy management transforms lives
As a legacy professional who previously worked as a private client solicitor, I read with interest the recent articles about how best to approach the inclusion of a gift to a charity within a client’s will. During my time in private practice, I worked in three different firms and witnessed the varying approaches taken to […]
Missing Beneficiary Indemnity Insurance – Protection for Personal Representatives
What is MBI? Missing Beneficiary Indemnity Insurance (MBI) offers Personal Representatives (PR’s) protection from unexpected claims against them for a share of an estate following distribution. Claims could be made by untraced known beneficiaries, or unexpected beneficiaries who were previously not known to the family; therefore, an MBI policy is the only true way of […]
‘Product in Focus’ Series: Experian Unclaimed Asset Register (UAR)
In the 4th article of our ‘product in focus’ series, we look at the Experian Unclaimed Asset Register (UAR), and why we include it in our Financial Profile Premium Service. Experian cites the most common reasons for losing touch with assets as change of address, illegal activity, failure to update your address details and death. […]
Tower Street Finance bolsters its team
We’re pleased to announce the addition of two new team members to Tower Street Finance. This week we’ve welcomed Anya Carter our new customer support manager and Nick Lacey who will cover the London and the northern Home Counties, joining our team of business development managers. Anya comes with a wealth of experience in customer […]
1 in 20 bank branches closed in last 3 months
The Financial Conduct Authority have released figures which show that access to bank branches is decreasing, with 267 branch closures between April and June 2021. The impact on consumers means that 60.1% of the population is within 2km of a bank branch (down from 61.8% the previous quarter), and 87.5% are within 5km of one […]
Huge collection of “No Reserve” cars for sale
On sale across the weekend are number of exceptional vehicles, offered at ‘No Reserve’, meaning lots will sell with no restrictions – with the highest bidder securing the car. Simply, the highest bid wins. Finished in Mugello Blue, is a remarkable 2007 Audi RS4 (B7). The car has been owned and stored by its first […]
Working with charities- a legacy administrator’s perspective
Within charities, legacy officers are aware that we can be seen to be ‘difficult’ beneficiaries. My view is that this is almost always down to poor communication on both sides, and I also firmly believe that as a professional legacy administrator, it is my job to ensure clarity and a mutually respectful relationship between the […]
Will-making is about to go back in time to 1837
Changes to the law due to come into effect in January are set to transport the world of wills and probate back in time to 1837. No, not 1987; all the way back to 1837. Let me explain. The Covid pandemic saw an increase in Will writing demand but social distancing rules, shielding and self-isolation […]
“Creakingly” slow probate process delaying property sales
A London estate agent has blamed the low take up of wills solicitor staff shortages and the covid pandemic for the current “creakingly” slow probate process. Talking to the industry magazine, The Negotiator, Nina Harrison of the firm Haringtons said additional delays had added to the problem of buying and selling properties. An already lengthy […]
Events and Webinars – hosted by WillSuite
WillSuite have held over 25 events since the start of lock-down 1.0 and these have been incredibly well attended. As a result, we have launched a dedicated events page on the WillSuite website which you can access by going to https://willsuite.co.uk/events. We have space on a number of upcoming events (webinars) including ‘An Introduction to […]
Law Society comments on SRA 21/22 business plan
The Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce has backed the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) 2021-2022 business plan and budget, and reiterated the joint key priorities for the Law Society which include anti-money laundering (AML), diversity, inclusion, technology and innovation, “We are pleased to see the SRA is prioritising its work and resources on its core regulatory […]
Inheritance Dispute Funding – an alternative means of funding contentious probate cases
A recent court ruling saw the claimant of a contentious probate case being able to recoup the success fee uplift which was part of the ‘no win no fee’ arrangement she had with her solicitor. The claim was made under the 1975 Inheritance Act by the deceased’s daughter. She was estranged from her father and […]
Legacy notifications to reach record numbers in 21/22
Legacy Foresight have compiled their latest Legacy Market Briefing 2021 to the sector following the latest benchmarking and analysis of legacy giving in the UK via their Legacy Monitor Consortium. The report shares top-line findings and analysis for UK legacy giving now and in the years ahead, highlighting key trends and implications for fundraisers. This […]
