The focus of my book Your Last Gift – Getting Your Affairs in Order is a series of flexible downloadable Excel spreadsheets available from the website to which the purchaser is given a link. This is in the form of five Appendices to the book, as follows: • Personal...

While possibly not a subject you would expect to find in my book ‘Your Last Gift’, which is a practical guide to putting your affairs in order, I think that it is important for everyone, at least, to consider. This is not just because I am an ordained minister in the...

Places you Want to Visit/Things to Do I have on my bookshelf ‘A Thousand Places to See before You Die’, by Patricia Schultz. The vast majority of these places I would yet like to visit I won’t manage. However, I have found it quite fun to check the book before taking...

The greater the extent to which you can leave this earth ‘tidily’, by which I mean having taken steps to sort out what you own and to get rid of anything that is effectively useless or past its sell-by date (and which is not likely to wanted by anyone after you’ve...

This is a very brief guide to a very complex subject.  Those professional advisers ‘in the know’ won’t need it, though one or two might have some observations to make.  Others may find it helpful as an introduction which they can take further with their own advisers....

Finance Act 2012 introduced a significant rule reducing from 40% to 36% the rate of Inheritance Tax (IHT) where at least 10% of the estate is left to UK registered charities. What is easily forgotten is that this is the ‘net estate’, that is after deducting the...

You may own or you may rent your home – and, indeed, any other residences, whether in the UK or abroad. The ownership or lease may be in your sole name or held jointly with someone else, for example your spouse or partner. Under English law, there are two types of...

The first thing to say is that this is very much a specialist subject, so do get proper professional advice before you do anything. Second, I always used to say to clients (and now remind my wife and myself) that you should not give away too much to your children (or...

You may have retired or been an employee during your working life rather than a business owner. However, if you own a business or a share in one, there are important things you need to consider carefully. This brief treatment hardly does the subject justice and so...

The Death Certificate is confirmation of registration of a death in the UK. A significant change to the process of obtaining it was introduced on 9 September 2024. Now, a Medical Examiner is needed to certify every death except those which come before a coroner. The...

It can take up to 12 months to obtain a Grant of Probate. This is both confirmation of the validity of the Will and the authority of the Court to the Executors to deal with all your property once you have gone, including bank/building society accounts. In a...

These can present quite a challenge on death, as including:  Computer;  tablet/iPad;  mobile telephone;  social media; and  Dropbox and other facilities. The key thing of course is what happens with what is likely to be a variety of passwords. These would give...

If you have sole (or joint) care for minor children when you (or both, or the survivor, of you) die, then you should have given advance consideration both as to who will take over that care, as seamlessly as possible, and as to what financial provision you might make....

I wonder how many of my LinkedIn readers are well prepared?! Burial or cremation? You may have a clear preference, but have you made it clear which, together with any particular details (for example, the form it should take, where and who should be involved)? In my...

The vital things are clarity and certainty. The Will should be witnessed by two (disinterested) individuals both present with you, so they sign after you sign. Last week’s Post No. 4 discussed the all-important appointment of Executors. Stating your full name and...

OK, some do. But it seems that nearly three out of five adults in the UK (56%) don’t have a Will. Failure to make any preparations for the aftermath of the one thing that’s certain in life (even taxes can be mitigated, if not avoided altogether) does seem a bit crazy....

Learn why a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is essential to protect your finances, health, and wishes if you lose mental capacity.