Writing a will is an important part of ensuring that your assets and belongings are properly distributed after passing. It can be a daunting and overwhelming task if you don’t have all the necessary information—but it’s also one of the most crucial steps for ensuring that your loved ones are taken care of in the…
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Are you familiar with estate planning? Whether this term is new to you or something that’s on your radar already, the reality is that it’s an important concept for anyone, especially if you have young children and other loved ones, as well as assets of a reasonable value. Creating an estate plan doesn’t have to…
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When an individual passes away unexpectedly without a valid Will, their possessions and overall estate becomes subject to a set of rules known as the “rules of intestacy”. While these rules are set with logic to ensure the closest family members receive the bulk of the estate, it may not reflect one’s actual wishes. So,…
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The UK’s standard Inheritance Tax (IHT) rate is 40%. IHT must be paid by the executor on the net worth of the deceased person’s estate above the tax-free threshold of £325,000 per single person or £650,000 per couple. However, paying Inheritance tax is not always a straightforward matter, particularly if the amount due is more…
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Locating the important documents of somebody who has just died is often a cause of additional stress and anxiety for family members. The first and most important of documents needed at this time is the Will, which specifies how the estate will be divided after the Testator’s death. Locating a Will and other important Estate…
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A complete estate plan not only takes into account your belongings and property but also your relatives and loved ones. By planning ahead, you can minimize future stress on those closest and help ensure your wishes are carried out. An estate planning checklist will remind you of the decisions you’ll need to make when implementing…
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The answer is simple: start saving for retirement as soon as you can. Ideally, you’d start saving not long after you begin earning money. That’s because the sooner you begin saving, the more money you’ll have in your retirement fund and the more time your money has to grow. If your savings are invested, each…
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Frozen IHT tax thresholds and soaring property prices put more and more families at risk of hefty IHT bills. In fact, in the tax year 2021/2022 HMRC collected £6.1 billion in death duties, which equals £700 million or 13% more IHT than in the previous year. This makes it even more important that you organise…
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If you were asked how much money you would need to keep the lifestyle that you enjoy for the next year, how would you reply? Let’s change that a little and now ask yourself if you were going to write yourself one cheque and the money that you gave yourself had to last you for…
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In the 2021-22 financial year, taxpayers paid £700 million or 13% more IHT than in the previous year. A staggering increase, which was largely driven by rapidly increasing UK property prices and not helped by the recent freezing of the IHT thresholds until 2026. It’s these factors that make more and more families see the…
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