|
Join our list |
 |
|
Contact us |
By phone
01634 838656
07785 311342
07785 240024
By fax
0845 280 7537
Postal
Address :
Oak House Off St
Margaret Street Rochester
ME1 3GU
|
|
|
To existing friends and
clients:
You know how important it is to make
a will and we have assisted you make
one. Hopefully you will pass this on
to someone who needs to make a Will.
To new contacts, friends and
new clients:
We met recently and you said you
had not made a Will (or needed to
update a Will).
A Will is, perhaps the most
important document you will ever
write. It is the only one that
survives possibly for ever. See
below the Will of William
Shakespeare. It is, literally, your
testament for the future.
|
|
Why Make a Will? |
|
 Many
people think they do not need a will.
Yet have you ever considered the
complications that might arise if the
unthinkable happened?
For example, without a Will:
· If your assets, including the value of
your property, exceed a certain figure
they will not automatically pass to your
spouse.
· Your partner will not automatically
receive any of your assets.
· Disputes may arise within the family
over your property and other assets.
However, with a Will, you can do the
following:
· You can decide exactly what you want
done with your property.
· You can appoint just who you want to
act as your personal representatives and
give them all the powers they need to
effectively administer your Will.
· You save your beneficiaries from
paying any unnecessary tax.
· You can appoint guardians for young
children, ensuring that in your absence
they are brought up according to your
wishes.
|
|
Thousands of wills could need
reviewing in light of spiralling
care fees
|
|
Says Law Society President,
Thousands of wills could need
updating as rising care and nursing
fees force the elderly to sell their
assets to pay for care, warns the
Law Society.
The growing trend amongst those
requiring care is to sell their home
to pay for expensive care fees, but
the Law Society points out a
person's home is usually the largest
asset they leave to loved ones in
their will.
Andrew Holroyd, Law
Society President, says:
'Many people get their solicitor to
include their home in their will,
but with more people selling up to
release capital for care fees, many
wills will be outdated. There will
not be a home to leave to loved
ones.'
'People often make a will because
they are in a relationship or
because they have children, but they
then forget about it for many years,
during which time their personal
situation may have changed. Wills
should be reviewed regularly.
Someone who might have intended to
leave their home to a family member,
friend or charity in their will ten
or twenty years ago may not want or
be able to do so now.'
Research conducted by GfK on behalf
of the Law Society in October 2007
revealed that 57 per cent of
respondents did not know if they had
an up to date will or not.
Government estimates put the average
care home fees at £450 a week, while
at-home care services can run into
thousands of pounds a year. With
many pensions not covering these
fees, many people in need of care
have to make up the shortfall.
Andrew Holroyd says:
'It is worth asking your solicitor
to look again at your will and amend
it to include a 'plan B' in case
your home has been sold and cannot
be passed on, at least that way, if
you are forced to sell up, the
intended recipients of your estate
receive something else.'
'It is not just care fees that could
be forcing people to sell up. The
uncertain financial climate could
also force people to sell other
assets. With that in mind, it is
important not to forget to review
and update your will regularly.'
The Law Society warns that a regular
review of your will should be
carried out with your solicitor to
consider any major change in your
circumstances.
Source: Law Socity
Press Release
Wednesday 21 May 2008
|
|
Shakespeare's will
|
|
This will of 'Wllm Shackspeare of
Stratford upon Avon in the countie of
warr [Warwickshire] gent' is dated 25
March 1616.
William Shakespeare is the world's most
famous playwright. He wrote poetry as
well as more than 30 plays, but none of
his manuscripts or personal papers have
survived. The National Archives has over
50 documents about him or his family in
legal cases, or about him as an actor
and businessman.
The will is special because Shakespeare
signed it 3 times. There are only 3
other known examples of his signature
anywhere. The will is a standard legal
document, written by a lawyer, with no
touching last words for Shakespeare's
family and friends.
He was clearly a man of some means by
the time of his death. He left the bulk
of his estate to his elder daughter,
Susannah Hall. He left £300 to his
younger daughter, Judith. He gave his
wife, Anne Hathaway, his second-best
bed. Beds and other pieces of household
furniture were often the sole bequest to
a wife. It was common practice for the
best things to go to the children and
the second best to the wife.
Shakespeare died a month after this will
was written, having caught a fever at a
'merry party' thrown by fellow writer,
Ben Jonson. He was buried in Stratford
upon Avon church.
Source: The National Archives, Kew,
Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/museum/item.asp?item_id=21
|
|
|
