Whose estate is it anyway?
Who do you think will get your cash when you die - your spouse
or your kids? The answer is not always as you may assume,
particularly if you have not made a will. A consequence of the
recent large rise in the level of Prior Rights payable to a spouse
or civil partner of a deceased who left no will is that any
children from a prior marriage could be effectively
disinherited.
The large increase means that many more estates may pass
entirely or mainly to that spouse or civil partner, leaving the
kids with nothing.
The moral remains that everyone should make a will. The cost of
doing so is not as great as many may imagine and certainly a small
one compared to the consequences which might ensue without one.
Simpson & Marwick make the process as simple as possible by
providing a wills questionnaire to help you gather and provide to
us all the information required as easily as possible. Many find
this more of a barrier to making a will than the cost!
To find out more about making a will or see our briefing note on
Prior Rights which will shortly be issued contact our specialist
Private Client team.