Planning ahead is Essential for Peace of Mind
Planning for your own future or for the future of a loved one, can be done at any stage in your life.
Over 70% of the UK population do not have a valid Will. Even if you have a valid Will this does not take care of some decisions that need to be taken whilst you are alive.
At F Barnes we would recommend that you consider making a Lasting Power of Attorney at the same time as preparing your Will. This is a legal document that allows you to plan what should happen to you if you become unable to make decisions for yourself in the future. It offers security for you and your loved ones and lets you decide what should happen if old age, illness or injury leave you unable to deal with your own affairs.
Once you or your loved one loses the ability to understand what a Lasting Power of Attorney is, it's too late. Your family may need to apply for Deputyship instead which is costly and very time consuming.
Last week we spent the day at Queens Hospital Romford as part of Dying Awareness Week. We were able to offer advice on the day to anyone who needed it on all subjects concerning Wills and planning for the future generally. Thank you to everyone that came along to see us.
Questions you should be asking yourself are:
- Why should you make a Will?
- Who gets your money if you do not?
- Can a Will be challenged?
- What Tax will you pay?
- How do you protect your assets from going to the HMRC?
- Care Home Costs and how this may affect you
- What you can do if you have concerns about a family member’s mental capacity to deal with their affairs
Lee of West & Coe were also with us on the day. Lee was able to talk to individuals regarding funeral plans and their bereavement group HOPE which has been set up by Jeremy West.
We have several talks throughout the year on this emotive subject. If you would like to receive details of the next talk then please email joanne.druce@fbarnes.co.uk
Our friendly team are always here to answer any questions you may have, all it takes it a quick telephone call and we can usually identify what action is required as a priority and what can wait until the future.
We offer home visits as well as urgent visits to the hospital or care home if this is something you need.
Thank you to our team Sangeet, Joanne, Lauren, Ahmet, Paul and Cathy who helped on the day.
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