Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
Welcome to Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning at SMH. The first, and universally essential, element of estate planning is a properly drawn up Will, so the Wills we prepare for our clients are all drawn up to the highest standards, using the STEP Code for Will Preparation.
When considering your Estate you should give serious consideration to using trusts as part of your planning, primarily because they can help you to:
- Save tax
- Protect younger beneficiaries
- Guarantee succession of property
If you do not have a Will in place, you will die intestate and it is highly unlikely that the intestacy rules will dispose of your estate as planned, so we recommend that you contact us now to make an appointment.
Care Home Fees
Working in Care, many of you will have clients who lack the confidence or the mobility to arrange a meeting to obtain professional advice when they need advice on important issues such as their financial or testamentary affairs.
Helping Care Workers
Working in Care, many of you will have clients who lack the confidence or the mobility to arrange a meeting to obtain professional advice when they need advice on important issues such as their financial or testamentary affairs.
Will Writing
A Will makes it easier and clearer for your loved ones to sort your affairs once you have gone. It will allow you to name your chosen Executors to handle your assets, or Guardians to care for your children, you may set out specific gifts to certain people, state your funeral wishes, establish Trusts to protect your assets for future generations or for dependants who may not be able to care for themselves.
Intestacy
If you die without leaving a valid Will, this means you have died intestate. If this occurs your estate must be divided and distributed in accordance with the rules of intestacy which are complex and specify who can administer your estate, who will inherit and how much they are to receive.
Professional Executors
The administration of an estate following a death is a heavy burden at a very difficult time. The process can take anything from a few months to several years to fully complete, and to do the job correctly requires specialist knowledge of law, tax, and accounting matters.
