Professional and cost effective legal services without the need for a solicitor
A Will only gives away what has not been taken from you or what you have not spent. Understandably, people have reservations regarding this delicate matter, but the process need not turn out to be as upsetting and difficult as you might think. In fact, having made a Will gives you a feeling that you have done everything correctly and provides inner warmth that only comes in the knowledge that you have tied up all those loose ends.
But making sure that you have a Will is not enough; it has to be the right type of Will - one that is professionally drafted to take into account your wishes, and your personal and financial circumstances.
The correct Will can allow you to:
If you already have a Will, it is recommended that you review it every 2 to 5 years. Sometimes your wishes may not have changed, but the value of your assets and the law may have. As such it is very important to ensure that your Will does exactly what you want it to do; that it protects your assets and investments, and most importantly that you have taken advantage of various areas of flexibility within the law of estate planning.
Death is such a taboo subject that it's not surprising that over 70% of us risk bequeathing costly confusion to our nearest and dearest by not making a Will. Most people at some time in their lives consider putting their affairs in order, but the thought often passes without further action. There are of course the normal excuses of ‘we’re too busy’, or ‘I don’t plan on dying just yet!’ But we find for many people, the reason they had not got around to making a Will, is because they were not aware of the severe consequences to their family if anything was to happen to them, as they had just assumed that everything would be OK.
However, if you care about who inherits your estate, and you want everything to be OK, then you need an up to date professionally drafted Will.
This is because if you die without a Will, then the Government will decide who will inherit your estate in accordance with the Laws of Intestacy. These were drawn up in the 1920’s, and are now somewhat out of date. However, these laws state that your spouse may end up sharing your estate with your children or parents. Or if you are an unmarried couple, then your partner may not get anything.
If you do not make provision for young children, then the authorities will decide who is best placed to look after them, which may be hugely upsetting and disruptive. It can also mean that your partner (if you are not married) does not automatically become guardian of young children, even though they may be the father.
If you die without making a Will, your ex-spouse, may be entitled to claim part or all of your estate in certain circumstances! Even if your ex-spouse cannot make a claim, your children’s trust fund may fall under their control!
“Following my wife being taken into care as she was diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease I was worried about our existing Wills. I contacted APS Legal and met with a lovely lady who advised me that I could change my Will but my wife could not change hers as she did not have capacity. APS Legal severed the tenancy on our bungalow to tenants in common which meant that my half of our bungalow would not go to my wife but to who I wanted to leave it to in my Will. This meant that if I died first then my wife would not inherit the whole bungalow allowing the local authority to sell the bungalow to cover her care home fees. My wife and I worked so hard for our bungalow and it was such a relief to know that should anything happen to me, our children would not lose everything. Thank you APS Legal & Associates.”
“It has been such a relief to sort out our Wills and everything else that came with it. We had put it off for too long and now, with it behind us, we feel much more relaxed. Thank you”.
“We had no idea that there was so much to consider. We could not have done it without your help and the thoughtful way you took us through what we had to decide.”
“I’m so pleased that my financial adviser told me about APS Legal & Associates and put us in touch. I feel better now knowing that the money for my son will be looked after and his disability benefit will be safe”.
“I used to get so anxious about what might happen in the future but now I feel in control”.
"Thank you for helping me to understand the options I had and for taking me through what had always seemed too difficult. It was easier than I thought and when you explained them it was obvious what I should do. I couldn’t have done this without you".
"Making a Will is far easier and less stressful than I thought. Thank you for explaining everything with understanding and patience".
