Dying Tidily

Whilst none of us want to contemplate our own demise too much we would all wish our loved ones to have as simple a job as possible when the occasion arises.

In achieving this, the first job is to ensure that you have a Will setting out your wishes on who gets what; what your funeral wishes are and who you wish to undertake the task of administering the estate.

Who gets what is hopefully an easy task.  However, the increasing number of second marriages or other family arrangements, together with tax considerations, mean that it is not as straight forward as people think.  It is often helpful to talk this through with an experienced advisor from Hart Reade who can explain options and solutions that we have used in the past.  The ultimate decision is yours but it is helpful to know what can be done.

Funeral wishes are often no go areas in family discussions.  Invariably the first question we get asked when approached about a Will from the deceased’s family is whether it indicates what the deceased’s wants done with their body.  It is rarely a subject that comes up and therefore very helpful to have a simple statement from most people or detailed instructions for others.

You also need to consider who you would wish to task with dealing with the administration of your estate.  In some cases your family will be able to fulfil this role when the time comes or they can approach solicitors for assistance in dealing with matters.  Others prefer to have professional support either acting solely as Executors or with family members.  Whatever option you choose it is also sensible to ensure you have backup in case your Executors do not survive you.

Finally, it is also good to leave an up-to-date list of your assets and those to contact with your Will.  This should ease your Executors’ task in dealing with the estate and ensure that nothing is missed.  We have a form available which can be sent to you by email if you contact us at info@hartreade.co.uk

If you would like advice on any of the issues above please contact a member of our Private Client Department who will be happy to assist.