More than 6 out of 10 people prefer to have a qualified solicitor to write their will so they can be confident that it’s done properly, according to new research. A survey carried out by Will Aid, the organisation that encourages people to leave some of their estate to charity, found that 62% of people
Medical advances and better health education mean people are enjoying longer and more active lives than ever before. There are still risks, however. With more people living into their eighties and nineties, there are a rising number of dementia cases. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, more than a million people in the UK will be
A family have succeeded in their battle to overturn their brother’s will, which left nearly all his estate to his live-in carer. The issue arose after the brother was involved in an accident that resulted in him having to spend time in a mental health hospital. He made a will dividing his assets between his
A dispute over a pub that was the main asset of a family trust has been settled in the High Court. The trust had been set up a by a woman who named all her children as equal beneficiaries. One of her sons ran the pub as his main business; his siblings had no involvement.
The number of applications for lasting powers of attorney (LPA) has doubled in the last two years, according to research carried out by the Times newspaper. It says half a million LPAs were set up last year by people seeking to protect their interests in case they develop illnesses like dementia at some point in
The number of family disputes over wills continues to rise according to new research. A report in the Times newspaper says there was an 11% increase last year in the number of people challenging their parents’ wills in the High Court. It’s thought that an increasing number of cases are also being settled out of
As individuals, we are increasingly acquiring digital assets which could form part of our estate following our death; a Paypal balance, an online gaming avatar, music, photos, social media accounts, and copyright in blogs to name but a few examples. Is it necessary to update your will specifically to include these assets and how would
The actress Carey Mulligan has been appointed the first UK Global Dementia Friends Ambassador by the Alzheimer’s Society and the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The star of films such as Suffragette and The Great Gatsby aims to inspire and engage world leaders to promote a better understanding of dementia, a condition afflicting her grandmother. Her
High divorce rates and the increasing number of people entering into second relationships is leading to more and more disputes over wills and family inheritance. Conflicts due to second marriages have now become one of the main reasons for families taking legal action following the death of a relative. A typical problem arises when a
The late Duke of Westminster saved his family billions of pounds by using a trust that allows wealth to pass through the generations without attracting a large inheritance tax liability. The Duke died in August leaving an estate valued at £9bn. It’s thought nearly all of that wealth will pass to his son Hugh without