Blog & Resources
Expert advice and insights on estate planning, Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, and protecting your family's future.
You Named a Guardian. Who Controls the Money Until They Are Grown Up?
Naming a guardian decides who raises your children. It does nothing about the money. Without a trust, your children inherit everything outright at eighteen, and until then it sits with whoever administers your estate. Here is how the gap works and how a trust in your Will closes it.
If You Are Not Married and Own a Home Together, the Survivor May Get Nothing
Unmarried partners have no automatic right to inherit from each other in England and Wales. If one of you dies without a Will, the survivor can be left with nothing while the deceased’s parents or siblings inherit. Here is exactly how that happens and how to prevent it.
Joint Tenants or Tenants in Common, and Why Almost Nobody Knows Which They Are
There are two ways to co-own a property, and they lead to completely different outcomes when one owner dies. Most people do not know which one applies to them, and plenty guess wrong. Here is how to tell the difference, why it matters, and how to check the answer for certain.
What Actually Happens to Your Half of the House If Your Partner Remarries
You leave everything to your partner, trusting your children will get it eventually. Then your partner remarries, which cancels their old Will, and your children can end up with nothing. This is sideways disinheritance, and a trust in your Will is the honest way to guard against it.
Why We Will Not Sell You a Lifetime Asset Protection Trust
Companies sell lifetime asset protection and home protection trusts for thousands of pounds. We refuse to. Here, plainly, are the traps built into them, and why a trust that only comes into being in your Will avoids every one of them.
Executor and Trustee Are Different Jobs
People use the words executor and trustee as if they mean the same thing. They do not. One winds up your estate over months. The other can look after money held in trust for decades. Here is the difference, and how to choose the right person for each.
A Trust in Your Will Does Not Exist Until You Die
The single biggest misunderstanding about trusts is that they involve putting your house into something now. A trust in your Will is the opposite. Nothing transfers today, nothing changes while you are alive, and the trust only springs into existence when you die. That is exactly what makes it safe.
Where to Store Your Will and How to Keep It Safe
A Will that nobody can find after a death is worth precisely nothing. This guide walks through every storage option in England and Wales, covers how to look after the original document, and explains what your executors actually need to know.
How Pensions Fit into Your Estate Plan
Pensions are often the largest asset a person owns, yet most people never include them in their estate planning. This guide explains how pensions pass on after death, why expression of wish forms matter, and what the April 2027 IHT changes mean for your family.
Why Young Adults Should Consider an LPA
Lasting Powers of Attorney are not just for older people. If your adult child or grandchild were in a serious accident tomorrow, you would have no automatic legal right to manage their finances or make medical decisions on their behalf. Here is why every adult over 18 should have an LPA in place.
The 2026 Estate Planning Checklist: 10 Steps to Protect Your Family
A practical, step-by-step checklist covering everything you need to get your estate planning in order for 2026. From writing a Will and creating Lasting Powers of Attorney to understanding inheritance tax and having honest conversations with your family.
Using Trusts in Your Will: A Practical Introduction
Trusts are one of the most useful tools in estate planning, but the language around them can feel impenetrable. This guide explains what trusts are, why they belong in certain Wills, the most common types, and when the added complexity is genuinely worth it.
Court of Protection vs LPA: Cost, Time and Control Compared
What happens when someone loses mental capacity without a Lasting Power of Attorney in place? The Court of Protection becomes the only route, and it costs families thousands of pounds, months of waiting, and the loss of any say in who takes charge. This guide compares both paths side by side.
Writing a Will When You Have a Blended Family
Blended families face unique challenges when it comes to inheritance. Learn how to protect your spouse, your children, and your stepchildren through careful Will planning, and avoid the common pitfalls that leave loved ones with nothing.
What Happens When You Register an LPA with the OPG
A step-by-step guide to registering your Lasting Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian. Covers the signing order, fees, waiting times, common rejection reasons, and how to use your registered LPA.
When Is the Right Time to Make an LPA?
There is only one window for creating a Lasting Power of Attorney, and it closes without warning. This guide explains when to act, what triggers should prompt you, and why waiting is the biggest risk of all.
Digital Assets in Your Will: Crypto, Accounts and Online Legacies
Your digital life holds real value, from email accounts and family photos to cryptocurrency and online businesses. This guide explains what digital assets are, why they matter in estate planning, and how to make sure nothing is lost when you are gone.
How to Choose the Right Attorneys for Your LPA
Important considerations when selecting who will make decisions on your behalf if you lose capacity. Learn about legal requirements, qualities to look for, and how to structure attorney appointments.
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making a Will
Most Wills that cause problems were written by people who thought they'd done everything right. These are the five mistakes we see over and over, and honestly, every single one is avoidable if you know what to watch for.
Understanding Lasting Powers of Attorney: A Complete Guide
A comprehensive guide to Lasting Powers of Attorney in the UK. Learn about the two types of LPAs, who can be an attorney, the registration process, and why creating LPAs is one of the most important decisions you can make for your future.
LPA Fees: What Changed in 2025 and What It Costs Now
The OPG registration fee for a Lasting Power of Attorney rose from £82 to £92 on 17 November 2025. This guide covers why the fee went up, who qualifies for exemptions or reductions, the important Universal Credit change in February 2026, and whether an LPA is still worth the cost.
Can You Protect Your Home from Care Home Fees?
The idea of losing the family home to pay for residential care is one of the biggest fears in later life. This guide covers what actually works, what does not, and where the line sits between sensible planning and falling foul of the rules.
How LPAs Are Going Digital: The Powers of Attorney Act 2023
The Powers of Attorney Act 2023 is the biggest overhaul of the LPA system in nearly two decades. This guide covers what is changing, why it matters, and what you need to do right now if you already have an LPA or are thinking about making one.
Applying for Probate: What to Expect and How Long It Takes
Nobody sits around thinking about probate until they have to. Someone dies, the grief hits, and then out of nowhere there's this legal process between the family and the deceased's bank accounts. I've walked dozens of families through it and the same questions come up every time. What is probate. How do I apply. How long before I can actually do anything. This is the honest version of all that.
The Property (Digital Assets) Act 2025: What It Means for Your Estate
The Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025 finally sorts out whether you can actually own a Bitcoin the same way you own a car. Turns out you can. We break down the new third category of property, what it means for your Will and your executors, and what you should be doing about it right now.
How to Talk to Your Family About Estate Planning
Most families avoid talking about Wills, LPAs, and end-of-life wishes until it is too late. This guide covers how to start the conversation, what to say, what to leave out, and why the silence almost always causes more pain than the discussion ever would.
Electronic Wills: What the Law Commission Wants to Change
The Law Commission wants to drag Will-making into the 21st century. Electronic signatures, a lower minimum age, scrapping the marriage revocation rule, and giving courts the power to rescue flawed documents. Here is what the proposals actually say, what they would mean for you, and why nothing has changed yet.
The Seven-Year Rule: What It Really Means for Gifts and Inheritance
I have lost count of the number of people who think they understand the seven-year rule and then get it completely wrong. This guide covers how it actually works, what taper relief does and does not do, which exemptions you are probably ignoring, and why the care home fees thing is a total myth that could cost your family dearly.
What Executors Actually Do: A Practical Guide
Being named as an executor sounds like an honour until you find out what it actually involves. This guide covers the legal duties, the probate process, the pitfalls, and the question nobody thinks to ask: can you say no?
Care Home Fees and Your Home: What Every Family Should Know
The average residential care home in England now costs over £1,300 a week, and your family home could be on the line. This guide explains the means-testing rules, when the council can and cannot count your property, the deprivation of assets trap, and what you can genuinely do to protect your estate.
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