The Citizens Advice Bureau has recently reported that the number of enquiries about people who have died without making a will has more than doubled over the last 5 years.
According to a YouGov survey two thirds of the British adult population do not have a will.
Queries regarding intestacy problems have more than doubled with queries regarding probate increasing at similar levels. The CAB outlines a common case study that many of us will have direct experience of;
Example: Tom and Heather are married and own their flat jointly as beneficial joint tenants. They have a child called Selma. Tom dies intestate leaving the jointly-owned flat worth £300,000, and £50,000 in shares in his own name. The flat goes automatically to Heather. This leaves an estate of £50,000 which also goes to Heather, as it is worth less than £250,000. Selma inherits nothing.
If Tom had owned the flat in his name alone, his estate would have been worth £350,000. It would be shared out according to the rules of intestacy, that is, Heather would get the first £250,000. This leaves an estate of £100,000. Heather would get £50,000 and Selma would get the remaining £50,000.
When advising clients from a wealth management perspective, are you clear about the consequences should they unexpectedly die without making a will? Would you like to know more?
If you prefer to work independently from the comfort of your laptop, you can find out more about the core principles of Estate Planning via the BTWC Online Learning Modules.
If you would like to offer estate planning advice to your client we offer face to face comprehensive training with our next session scheduled on
Wednesday 22nd June at the Bentley Hotel Lincoln.
BTWC has specialised in providing will writing and estate planning services to professional advisers for 17 years. Get in touch with us to see how you can join us to support two thirds of the UK population without a will and develop your business proposition.
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