By Sarah Conner of Grant Saw Solicitors

A Will is one of the most important documents you will ever create. A validly signed and witnessed Will insures that on your death there is a smooth distribution of the wealth and assets you have accumulated during your lifetime, to your chosen loved ones.

Making a Will gives you control over what happens when you die and the opportunity to:

– Provide for your loved ones

– Protect your children

– Choose who administers your estate and assets on your death

– Preserve wealth for future generations of your family

– Save assets from unnecessary tax

Our firm, Grant Saw Solicitors, believes that your Will should only be prepared by qualified solicitors who specialise in private client work. This ensures that you receive the best advice and prevents any uncertainty about the validity of your Will. Uncertainty can lead to lengthy and costly family disputes and the possibility that your estate will not go to the beneficiaries of your choice.

There have been many stories in the press about relatives making claims against a deceased’s Will and these claims are usually caused by homemade Wills or Wills made by unqualified Will writers.

A solicitor will carefully consider your individual wishes and circumstances, so that the best options can be presented to you, in a clear and concise manner. Our firm, for example,  specialises in providing tailored advice on Wills, which includes advice on mitigating inheritance tax.

We will carefully draft your Will to consider the following:

– Appointment of guardians for children

– Minimising the inheritance tax burden for unmarried couples

– Cohabiting couples: if you and your partner are unmarried or not in a civil partnership, your partner would have no right to inherit from your estate and therefore it is essential that a valid Will is prepared to provide for them

– Ensuring your spouse/partner is financially secure on your death

– Complex family situations, such as second marriages and ensuring that the children of the first marriage benefit from your estate. By carefully using trusts it is possible to benefit your spouse so that they are taken care of during their lifetime whilst ring fencing your share of the family home to safely pass your wealth onto the next generation by using flexible life interests

– Preserving the value of your home from the erosion of care fees, specifically if the surviving spouse needs long term care

– Protecting vulnerable loved ones so that they will not lose their means tested benefits if they inherit your estate

If you have already made a Will, we advise that you review it every three to five years to make sure it suits your current personal and financial circumstances. We would be happy to review your Will with you and can advise whether it is inheritance tax efficient in accordance with current legislation.

Further details: grantsaw.com