Signing a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) document authorises someone to deal with matters on your behalf, should you become unable to do so yourself. There are two types of LPAs, one covering property and financial affairs and one covering health and welfare. It is possible to ask your attorney to deal with your property
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While no-one really wants another task to do before they go away on holiday, it really is a good idea to make sure you have a valid Will in place before you travel. Taking a trip will always involve a small risk, and many people take out insurance just in case something happens. Think of
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Making a Will is often something people don’t bother with until they are older or have children. But once you reach the age of 18, you should seriously consider writing your first Will. Although many young people don’t think about making a Will, it is a good idea to have one in place so that
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There are many decisions to be made at a time when people may be feeling overwhelmed and fraught. It is not uncommon for executors to fall out during this time, which is the last thing the deceased would have wanted. People may feel that the other executor(s) are not acting in the most beneficial way,
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Nearly two million people are due a refund after the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) overcharged for registering a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). An LPA gives someone the right to manage your affairs after you become incapable of doing so. You can execute an LPA in respect of your health and welfare and/or
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When making a Will, it is possible to leave someone a life interest in your property or assets. It may be more prudent in certain circumstances to leave your spouse or partner a life interest in your assets rather than giving them outright ownership. In particular this can be advantageous if you want to make
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On some occasions it may be possible to deal with someone’s estate without needing to apply for probate. When someone dies, the person named as executor in their Will is responsible for collecting in, valuing and distributing their assets. Whether or not that person needs to apply for probate depends on the value of the
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If a Will has been mislaid or inadvertently destroyed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Probate will not be granted. When someone dies, their executor is responsible for sending the Will to the Probate Registry. The Grant of Probate issued by the Registry is the document which gives the executor the authority to collect in the
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There are certain restrictions as to who can make a Will, including age and capacity. In England and Wales you generally need to be 18 before you can make a Will. It is always advisable to make a Will once you reach that age, even if you feel you might not have anything much to
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There are an estimated 51 million pets in the UK, but only a small proportion of them are mentioned in their owner’s Will. In England and Wales, pets are considered to be the property of their owners and as such, can be left to someone in a Will. The RSPCA estimate that there are 12
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