• Easy and straightforward... no forms for you to fill in.
• Appointments available to suit you...at your home or your office.
• Excellent value for money... fixed fees with no hidden extras.
• Professional and reliable... a Will tailor-made to your requirements.
• A Lasting Power of Attorney prepared to meet your circumstances ... full advice to you and information to your Attorneys.
• Safe custody of documents arranged.
• Advice and assistance to your Attorneys in making application to register either an Enduring Power of Attorney or a Lasting Power of Attorney with the Court
Jane Barlow is a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, a Member of the Institute of Professional Will Writers and has over 30 years experience of Will writing and tax planning.
A Will is a legally valid document in which you state who is to sort out your assets when you die and how those assets are to be administered for the benefit of your loved ones or your chosen causes. Making a Will is quite straightforward and not very expensive. It is not just something for the rich. No matter how little you think your estate may be worth, it is important to make a Will. If you die without a valid Will you can leave hardship, worry, problems and confusion for those left behind.
What if you don't have a Will?
If you die without a valid Will, you are said to die intestate. The result
of this is that it is the Government which decides who is entitled to deal
with your assets and also decides who is entitled to benefit and in what
proportions. This means that your estate may not go to benefit those whom
you would wish to be your beneficiaries.
It also means that you do not choose who will sort out your estate after
your death. Under the rules of intestacy your beneficiaries may suffer unnecessary
liability to Inheritance Tax, which a well drawn Will could have helped to
avoid.
You are entitled to leave
only part of your estate without the taxman charging inheritance tax on
it. When you
add up the value of all that you own, including your home, savings and personal
effects, it is easy to see that your estate value may exceed the threshold.
The taxman may take 40% of all that you pass on over the threshold. A Will
is a means by which you can try to reduce the tax burden for your beneficiaries.
It is important that any tax planning is well thought out and practical for
your circumstances and we will work with your independent financial advisor,
accountant etc. to find the right solution for you.
Having taken the trouble to make a Will which will ensure that your affairs
are settled in accordance with your wishes, it is also important that similar
provisions are made to organise your affairs in case you should become unable
to do so during your lifetime, due to illness, accident or old age.
Remember, the value of the estate covered by your Will depends on the careful
management of your affairs during your lifetime.
Should you become incapable without having appointed an Attorney, the Court
of Protection will appoint a Deputy for you. Anyone with a valid interest,
even a local authority, may be considered or, in the absence of an applicant,
a solicitor. All of this takes time, during which important matters cannot
be settled, can involve large legal bills and will incur court fees. There
are Appointment Fees, Commencement Fees, Transaction Fees, an Administration
Fee each year and even a Winding-up Fee when you die.
All of this can add up to thousands of pounds of your money in which you
have no say.
However, all of this can be easily avoided, through a legal
document called an Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), but it must be drawn
up whilst you are mentally capable of so doing - it cannot be done after
the event.
An LPA allows you to appoint someone who will act for you if, at some point in the future, you should become mentally incapable of dealing with your own affairs. This power may never have to be adopted, but at least in this way, you can ensure that your family and other loved ones can access the funds that they need. This will enable them to keep the household running and their lives operating as normally as possible, avoiding any red tape that denies them access to your finances.
In addition to an LPA authorising your Attorney to deal with financial matters, you can, if you wish, complete a separate LPA authoriting an Attorney to make decisions regarding your personal welfare.
Lasting Powers of Attorney, to be fully effective, must be registered with the Court and we can help and advise you or your Attorneys on those applications.
Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA)
If you have previously completed an EPA and may wish to update that document, we can advise you.
If you are an Attorney appointed under an EPA and require help in applying for registration of that document with the Court, we can offer the necessary help and assistance.
Contact
Jane
Barlow
FILEx TEP MIPW
A Commissioner for Oaths
Wills & Probate Specialist
jB wills
PO Box 248 Newlyn
Penzance
Cornwall TR18 5WY
DX: 144383 Penzance 3
Tel: 01736 351226
Fax: 01736351226
Mobile: 07790 866967
Email:
advice@jbwills.co.uk
Useful Links
Hosted & Maintained by Truro Computer Services