How will new inheritance tax rules affect you or your family?
The Government has finally honoured its promise to raise inheritance tax thresholds to £1m which will remove hundreds of estates from paying inheritance tax. But they will not benefit everyone. Breda Cashell,…
Disputes following a bereavement
Every year, a growing number of people find themselves in a situation where there is a disagreement after someone has passed away about the deceased's estate. Senior members of the team at Wake Smith, Nick Lambert…
The ability to understand
The High Court has recently had to consider the correct test to be applied in order to decide whether a person had the necessary mental capacity to enter into a contract or to be a party to a court case. The Judge…
Spotlight On.. Rachel Baseley
Lives:Sheffield Education: I went to a rural comprehensive school in Herefordshire (it was assumed we’d end up working in agriculture so we had lessons in how to identify different breeds of sheep, cattle, pigs…
Make your wishes clear, and known
Death is one of the most emotional subjects, and many do not like to address the issues surrounding their last wishes and the arrangements. But the plain fact is that everyone will die, at some point, so I am always…
Budget July 2015- Main Residence Nil Rate Band
Following the recent budget, the government announced that the current individual nil rate band (tax free amount), in respect of inheritance tax, will now remain fixed at £325,000 until April 2021. In addition to…
The Cost Of Care Home Accommodation
If you need help to pay for your place in a care home, the local authority will do a financial assessment to work out how much you should pay towards the cost of your support. They take your income and capital into…
Powers Of Attorney
There may come a time in your life when you need help dealing with your day to day affairs. A Power of Attorney is a document under which you can give another person the legal power to assist you. Enduring Powers…
Do I Need A Probate?
One of the most frequent search terms used by people landing on our website is "Do I need probate?", so I thought it might be interesting to have a brief look at when probate is required and why. Probate is the…
Married, Civil Partners, Divorced, Single......? Make A Will.
29th March 2015 marks the first anniversary of same sex marriage. This is a step on from the right to enter into a civil partnership, which came into effect ten years ago in December 2005. Same sex couples, whether…
