Having a friend suddenly die on you can put your mind in a spin. You have a horde of things to do ranging from calling the family doctor and arranging a death certificate, to contacting a funeral director to make arrangements. Moreover, you may find yourself in the … [Read more...]
A Bad Apple Almost Robs a Family of Their Past
It was once fashionable for people to leave their ‘earthly possessions’ to the fortunate few. Presumably this was since their wealth in the ‘heavenly realms’ did not have title deeds for solicitors to transfer. The digital era has re-awakened the debate regarding … [Read more...]
Are UK Probate Delays Manipulative? Not an Easy Call
We’re not making direct insinuations because we don’t have hard evidence to hand. However, one way to find the reason for an unexpected change is to ask who benefits. The Express romped in with the banner headline on May 8, 2019, ‘Probate delay: Bereaved families … [Read more...]
Three Ways Executors Get into Trouble with Probate Law
Being an executor of an estate is a serious responsibility. It should not be taken on lightly, especially if you don’t fully understand the law. That because estate beneficiaries could sue you if they end up being out of pocket. We have heard of cases where quite large … [Read more...]
Abuse of Privilege When a Beneficiary Robs an Estate
When a person makes a will before they die, they trust that someone will implement it according to their wishes. Unfortunately, these things are not as sacred as they were decades ago, if they were ever. Therefore, they would probably protect their interests best if … [Read more...]
Probate Tax Still in Commons under Brexit Heat Shield
The proposal to impose a heavy tax on dying is still on the House of Commons calendar awaiting approval. Meanwhile the polemic over Brexit continues unabated. The idea of increasing the cost of dying from £215 to as much as £6,000 could therefore become the new … [Read more...]
UK Inheritance Tax Who Pays at What Rates
Inheritance tax is something we would rather do without. However the government has the upper hand and the best we can do is choose any legal wiggle room we can find. If we leave money or other assets our heirs might otherwise have to fork out 40% of the … [Read more...]
Princley Probate Valuation In Ryde Isle Of Wight
This week I was asked to carry out a probate valuation in Ryde on The Isle Of Wight for an overseas executor. This was a valuation I was looking forward to doing as it was at a very special property. It was in fact Prince Consort Building in Ryde. Prince Consort … [Read more...]
Are Probate Trusts a Good Idea or a Gimmick?
There have been a number of trust scams recently, culminating in the Universal Asset Preservation Trust debacle that did not live up to its name. One of lessons that came out of this is you cannot hide your money in a trust, just to avoid your future financial … [Read more...]
Why Can’t I See My Father’s Will Before the Probate?
A young lady called us in a panic the other day. When she calmed down a little we learned her father had passed away after nominating her brother as his sole executor. It seems the two siblings were not the best of friends. Indeed, she was openly accusing her brother of … [Read more...]
