Blog
The change to registering of Trusts
Trust registration requirements first appeared in 2017 when the UK adopted the terms of the 4th Money Laundering Directive. The intention was to capture a substantial amount of data on trusts to ensure compliance with the directive and for HMRC reporting requirements....
Leaving a gift to charity
According to research from Remember a Charity, leaving a legacy gift in a Will has now reached a new high with 19% of people choosing to leave something to charity when they die. 3 in 10 donors with a Will included a charity and that increases amongst the more...
Leaving Cryptocurrency in a Will
What is Cryptocurrency? Cryptocurrency is a digital payment system that allows you to hold the currency in a digital wallet. It is an intangible asset unlike cash, so there is no physical hard-copy asset. The digital wallet is a web-based or hardware-based system. The...
A Damaged Will – What are the Probate consquences?
Very often we advise clients who have made their Wills to ensure that their documents are stored safely and securely. But what happens if a Will is damaged and what would the Probate Registry define as ‘interference’ with the Will? The reason the Probate Registry are...
The Residence Nil Rate Band – An Overview
Inheritance Tax can be a complicated area and whilst the Residence Nil Rate Band was introduced back in 2016, this legislation is always worth a revisit to ensure interpretation of the key aspects is correct. In summary, if a person dies on or after 6 April 2017, and...
Should a home be gifted to children during lifetime?
A common question we hear of is around the gifting of homes to children during lifetime. Many are under the impression that the best way to manage their potential future care liabilities, mitigate inheritance tax and ‘keep things simple’ is to make a gift of their...
Planning our own funeral – for your clients
Planning our own funeral, it’s really not something we like talking about is it? However, reports from the Funeral Planning Authority suggest that 57% of adults aged over 40 haven’t thought about what their wishes might be and if they have, certainly haven’t talked...
Should EPAs be replaced with an LPA?
You may have clients who have an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) in place. EPA’s were replaced by Lasting Power of Attorneys (LPA’s) from 1st October 2007 so it’s not been possible to create EPA’s since then. Your clients may ask you, if they have an EPA in place,...
Buy-to-let properties and Inheritance tax – where do your clients stand?
A common client question: How do Inheritance Tax rules apply for those that own buy-to-let properties? Typically, inheritance tax is payable on buy-to-let properties as they will form part of an estate when a person dies. Inheritance tax is charged by HMRC at a rate...