Upon your death, the executors of your will or administrators of your estate will often need a grant of probate or a grant of letters of administration before they can collect and then distribute any assets. You won’t be able to sell a house without a grant and many banks and other organisations require a grant before they allow full…
Trusts have been used as a means of financial planning for centuries and go back as far as the Middle Ages. They are a way of ring-fencing assets in a place where they can be managed by one person or a group of people on behalf of others. When it comes to estate planning, trusts are a good way to…
Making any kind of charitable gift during the tax year, from sponsoring somebody doing a marathon to a larger sum of money gifted to a cause that is close to your heart, can reduce your tax obligations. In an effort to encourage charitable giving among those who have accumulated wealth, the UK government offers a number of tax breaks….
When it comes to finance, anyone making decisions about another person’s money, such as a bank, wealth manager, or financial adviser, has a fiduciary duty and this means that they must act in the best interests of their client. The Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates all practicing financial advisers, has outlined industry standards that must be maintained and for that…
A trust can be a helpful and tax-efficient method of investing for your children’s future education. Setting up education trusts for children is not a complex task, providing you seek professional advice, are clear on how it all works, and are aware of the personal obligations of the trustees.
Shoppers couldn’t quite believe their eyes when UK supermarkets put security tags on 1kg packs of Lurpak butter last year because it had become a high-value item with the price reaching up to £9.35 in some stores. Food prices weren’t the only shock. Energy bills skyrocketed and although they have since fallen a little, they remain high. The cost…
When it comes to the documents you need for your Self-Assessment or Corporation Tax returns, it is good practice to organise and maintain them in an orderly fashion to help you and your accountant and tax advisers, as well as HMRC, should they need to know anything. Let’s take a closer look at how to organise your tax documents.
How to reduce inheritance tax on residential property Inheritance tax raises a huge amount of money for the government and last year, a record-breaking £7 billion was collected, a rise of £1 billion from the previous tax year which was largely due to the increase in property prices. It’s easy to see why the government favours this method of taxation,…
If you have been tasked with the role of executor or estate administrator, you may be tempted to go ahead and undertake everything yourself. Taking into consideration that executors are personally liable to the beneficiaries of a will, as well as to HMRC in terms of Inheritance Tax, it is vital to be aware of the pitfalls of DIY probate. Here our experts take a look at the most common probate mistakes, and how to avoid them.