Are Lasting Powers of Attorney more important than Wills?
“I think in many ways, a Power of Attorney is more important than a Will,” Martin Lewis When I heard this recently it made me think, as it isn’t a point I’d considered before. But actually, it makes sense. If we die without a proper and competent Will in place, then it increases stress, costs […]
“I’m getting older and want to give my daughter power of attorney in case I lose my memory”
We received an email yesterday from a gentleman, and his query was along the above lines. While we’re always pleased to see people getting their affairs in order, it was reminder of one of the dangers of doing your Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs): appointing only one attorney. Why should you appoint more than one […]
Are ‘deathbed Wills’ still a thing?
While restrictions were in place during the COVID pandemic, it was impossible for professional willwriters to (legally) meet someone who was literally on their deathbed and produce that person’s Will. They could have done it by telephone but the risk of something going wrong in that situation is high. However, now restrictions are lifted, it […]
Should you transfer your house into your children’s names?
Every now and then, a client tells us that they are considering putting their house in their children’s names to avoid care fees. Our response is always the same: we do not recommend it. Councils do not take everything at face value where care is concerned, and if they see that the parent/s are still […]
Do I need a Health & Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney?
We recently received an enquiry from a lady wanting to create her Property & Finance Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). Our immediate question was, had she already done her Health & Welfare one? Her response was along the lines of: “I was told I don’t need to do a health one as my family will […]
The impact of not writing a Will
We recently saw a statistic that 30 million adults in Britain don’t have a Will. These stats go round now and then but that is the highest number we have seen. More than half! So 30 million people who, if they die tomorrow, what they want to happen to their money, their property, young children… […]
How should a Will cater for vulnerable children?
“Simon* wanted this video game for Christmas and he plays it all the time, but if someone had told him it costs £2,000 he’d have given them the money straight away.” The clients who said this to me a couple of years ago, popped into my head this morning. This couple had three children, the […]
“Having the Will there made such a difference”
A friend of Lakes Wills said this to our founder Stephen recently. She referred Stephen to write her grandparents’ Wills a couple of years ago, and around a year ago her grandfather sadly died. Talking recently, this friend told Stephen that sorting out her grandfather’s estate (she was an executor of his Will) was so […]
“I’ll be dead, it won’t be my problem” No, it’ll be your family’s problem
Most of us would like to think that when we die, at least those people we love will mourn us. Most of us will lose our parents, while in a lasting relationship it is likely that one of the partners will die before the other. These are among the worst things that many of us […]
No Lasting Powers of Attorney? No power to help your loved ones
On the willwriting circuit, there are numerous horror stories of where families have suffered because their loved ones did not write Wills or Lasting Powers of Attorney when they were able to. One of the worst stories we have heard recently is of a willwriter who wrote Wills for a couple in the late 2000s. […]