Tim Gamester

In a significant move to address the ongoing injustice faced by victims of the Infected Blood Scandal, Chancellor Rachel Reeves' 2025 Budget has introduced a welcome and long-awaited change to the Inheritance Tax (IHT) rules for those affected. ...

Estate Planning and the New “Mansion Tax”: What Homeowners Need to Know Today’s Budget, delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, has brought some significant changes for high-net-worth individuals, particularly in the realm of estate...

Planning for the future of your estate is crucial, especially in the context of family dynamics that may change due to divorce or separation. This article explores how careful estate planning, through the use of testamentary instruments such as Wills,...

Pension Nominations: Estate Planning, Inheritance Tax, and the Impact of the October 2024 Budget. Pension death benefits play an increasingly important role in estate planning. However, the rules around nominations, tax treatment, and trustee discretion can...

Challenging Misconceptions: Wills and Lasting Power of Attorney for Neurodivergent Individuals. Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17 to 23 March 2025) is a time to recognise and empower neurodivergent individuals, challenging outdated stereotypes, and...

Solicitor-Drafted Wills and LPAs: The Gold Standard for Protecting Your Future Estate planning is one of the most crucial steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from life’s uncertainties. As highlighted in The Martin Lewis Money...

The pet supplies retailer, Pets at Home, has of late benefitted from positive publicity due to its policy of temporarily halting the sale and adoption of rabbits over the Easter weekend in an attempt to discourage prospective purchasers from making impulsive...

It may seem incomprehensible to imagine your estate, an estate that you have worked your entire lifetime building, becoming the property of the King upon death. However, the purpose of this article is to explain that this is an inevitable consequence for...

The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), a global professional body comprising lawyers, accountants, trustees, and other practitioners that help families plan for their futures, has recently published its new report on the unregulated Will...

A Will is the only way to make sure that your money, property, possessions, and investments (known as your estate), go to the people and causes that you care about. There are many benefits to making a Will, but perhaps the most important reason is that a...

The word ‘Probate’ is often used to refer to the entire process of administering a deceased’s estate. The generic name for people doing this job is ‘Personal Representatives’. There are two types: ‘Executors’ and...

A power of attorney is a legal document that allows someone to make decisions for you, or act on your behalf, if you’re no longer able to or if you no longer want to make your own decisions. The people you appoint to manage your affairs are called the...

A key part of estate planning is the transferring of wealth while you’re alive to family or beneficiaries using tax-efficient gifts or placing assets into trust. In this article, I will explore financial gifts, and how they can reduce your Inheritance...

Working out what to do when someone you love dies can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming. This guide intends to outline the main initial areas that you will need to cover from the day that your loved one passes away. Terminology ...

What Is Stamp Duty? Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a tax imposed on land transactions. When Does Stamp Duty Apply? A land transaction for the purposes of SDLT is defined as the ‘acquisition of a chargeable interest’ in land within...

The making of a Will is a vital step for everyone. Having a Will in place protects your assets after you die and ensures they are distributed in the way you require. Not having a Will in place, that reflects your requirements, will put your assets at risk...