Here is the concluding article on powers of attorney with some final thoughts and encouragement. As with so many tasks in life making and registering a power of attorney IS not complicated if you know what you are doing, however there are traps for the unwary and the consequences of getting things wrong can be
This is a common question. Some people may feel that they don’t have very much money to leave to anyone, and others don’t seem to mind where their money goes when they pass away. However, making a will goes beyond simply setting out where your ‘estate’ (your money and other assets) will go when you
The rising number of second marriages and relationships involving older couples has led to an increasing number of disputes over wills in the last few years. Conflicts due to relationships started later in life have now become one of the main reasons for families taking legal action if they feel they’ve missed out on their
Two sisters who detest each other and no longer speak have lost the right to look after their elderly mother’s finances. Their 97-year-old mother drew up a lasting power of attorney (LPA) eight years ago appointing them as her deputies so they could make decisions on her behalf if she became unable to manage her
My first article gave a brief outline of what a Power of Attorney is and why you might need one. Here let us think about the attorney – who it might be and how many you can have. Whichever type of Power of Attorney you decide to create the single most important question is “Who
Lasting powers of attorney (LPA) are a tried and trusted way of enabling a person to nominate someone to look after their affairs if they ever lose the capacity to do so themselves at some point in the future. They have helped millions of families achieve peace of mind over many years. While the vast
There are many reasons why someone may require assistance in administering their financial affairs. The appointment of a legal representative to conduct your affairs is most usually achieved by creating a Power of Attorney. However, for those whose finances are very simple this is not always necessary; the Department for Work & Pensions has an
A married couple have been allowed to remove a clause from a trust document that could have cost their family £650,000 in tax liability. The issue arose after the husband set up a trust for which both he and his wife were among the trustees. When drawing up the trust, he decided to appoint certain
The Court of Protection exists to safeguard the interests of people who may be unable to look after themselves fully or make decisions on their own behalf. Sometimes the court may defend them against individuals seeking to exploit them, but it can also protect them against the heavy handed actions of official bodies, as illustrated
A woman has won a legal dispute with a charity over the meaning of her mother’s will. It means she will inherit an extra £325,000. The case involved a woman who made a will leaving her daughter all the tax-free money from her estate. The remainder was to go to the Woodland Trust charity. When