Estate planning advice

Providing an estate planning review for a farming family looking to undertake generational planning

Simon advised a couple who own a farm, including various areas of land, properties and two family trusts which held property.

Advising on various family trusts whilst administrating a couple’s estate

Following the death of a Husband and Wife, Simon was instructed by the family to advise on their estates, which left Will trusts, and other estate trusts. The estate had a value of around £3.5 - £4 million. 

It does pay off to get a bit of legal advice

I acted for clients who were beneficiaries of an estate.  The deceased left them gifts worth several hundred thousand pounds each.  However, the beneficiaries were told by the executor that the estate was in so much debt that it would be unable to pay the gifts in full, if at all.  The executor advised the beneficiaries that it would be in their interest if they signed over their legacies to the spouse of the deceased, thus reducing the estate’s tax bill (gifts to spouses are exempt from inheritance tax).  They were told that this was maximising their chances of getting anything, albeit via the deceased’s spouse, not direct.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) – What are they, and why should you care?

How to make provision for vulnerable beneficiaries

What happens to digital assets upon death?

Helen Maddison-White recently attended Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge District Law Society where Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP took the lead presenting on Digital Assets.

Why it is never too early to think about estate planning

Nicola Brant recently wrote a piece for The Resident, highlighting the importance of drafting a will and keeping it updated.

Grand Designs to gift land or property? Here is what you need to consider

Channel 4’s Grand Designs programme recently featured an inspirational couple who, despite both suffering from serious health issues, self-built their ‘dream home’ by renovating an old barn.

The benefits of leaving money to charity in your will

The climate surrounding COVID-19 over recent months has changed the way our society works, and for many, the sight of Captain Tom Moore (and others like him) raising large amounts of money for charity may well be one of the defining images. 

Estate Planning in the time of Coronavirus: Making best use of lifetime gifts

The Coronavirus pandemic has produced the biggest change in the daily lives of millions of people seen since the Second World War. There has also been a large amount of economic worry as stock markets have fallen and property prices have been affected by the slowdown in the market. 

COVID-19: Supporting vulnerable people in managing their affairs – powers of attorney & deputyship

The inheritance battle over which parent died first

FAQ: Family