Author: Jade Gani

Proposing a Proposal: Not Just for Couples

Posted on by Jade Gani

In this article our Head of Private Client, Jade Gani, discusses her recent experience with a particular Client, Ms A, and how it made her reconsider standard Estate Planning advice.

I have been in this area of work for a long while now, so there aren’t many situations which take me by surprise or make me re-consider my approach. So when I met with Ms A, I was taken aback and joyfully reminded that every Client’s needs and goals are distinct and different.

I attended the meeting together with a well-trusted and excellent Financial Advisor, as Ms A’s Estate was taxable and she had indicated she would like to actively Inheritance Tax [“IHT”] plan, following a recent cancer diagnosis. She owns two properties, some cash investments and a beautiful, friendly cat. She had never been married and doesn’t have any children.

In her Will, Ms A appointed her good friend, Mr B, as her Executor and wished to gift her second property to another dear friend, Ms C, leaving the remainder of her Estate to a beloved family member. We spoke about her funeral wishes and personal effects, but her main concern was the amount of IHT that would fall due on her Estate.

Of course, we discussed the current Nil Rate Band [“NRB”] and Residence Nil Rate Band [“RNRB”] allowances and it was clear she would not meet the criteria for the new RNRB allowance. This left her with only the ordinary NRB allowance of £325,000.00 and an Estate in excess of £600,000.00 – meaning a substantial IHT bill might fall due on her death.

Together, we discussed various IHT planning tools, such as the annual allowances, Potentially Exempt Transfers [“PETs”], Business Property Relief [“BPR”] investments and much more. Ultimately, Ms A wanted to retain the rental income from her second property while she still might need it and didn’t feel like diversifying her investments further.  

“But, is there nothing else we can do to save tax quickly?” she queried, as I looked at the Financial Advisor for any last suggestions I might have missed. “What about spouse allowances? How does that work?” she asked. I dutifully explained the spouse exemption and transfer of allowances to Ms A, but politely reminded her that as a single person who had never been married, this would not apply. I asked if she was in a current relationship to which she confirmed she was not.

“But…” she pondered, “Does it work the same for Civil Partnerships?” – I confirmed it did. “Well then, I think I should like to enter into a Civil Partnership with my friend, Ms C, then! Would that work?”

The Financial Advisor and I shared a look. With a wry smile, I confirmed that I couldn’t see any reason why not, provided that Ms C was willing. We discussed the drawbacks – if Ms C decided to dissolve the partnership at a later date, if they fell-out and how it could impact Ms C’s Estate if she passed away first. On balance, Ms A felt the benefits greatly outweighed the negatives.

I confirmed I would include an “expectation of” clause in the Will, so that it wouldn’t be revoked if she married or entered into a Civil Partnership with Ms C. With a knowing smile, Ms A said she was looking forward to the speculation amongst her associates that would follow such a plan, as she and Ms C had been the best of friends for a very a long time.

I realised that, amongst all of the complex and detailed planning advice we had offered, I hadn’t seen the very simple, incredibly effective solution that was right in front of us the whole time; probably because it hadn’t occurred to me that Ms A would consider such a route with someone other than a partner.

But, just because it isn’t a common approach, does not mean it isn’t a sensible one. Granted, this probably wasn’t the approach the government had in mind when they first introduced Civil Partnerships, however, as there is no legal requirement to consummate a Civil Partnership, perhaps it will teach those in charge a lesson about the importance of equality for all from the outset…

By the end of the meeting we had a plan that would mean very little, if any, IHT would fall due on Ms A’s death. As a result, we were left with a very satisfied Client.  

To be eligible to register for a Civil Partnership, you must ensure you and your proposed Civil Partner:-

  1. Are both 16 or over. If you are 16 or 17, you will usually have to get written consent from your parents or legal guardians;
  2. Have lived in the same area in England or Wales for at least seven days;
  3. That neither of you is already either a civil partner, or married; and
  4. Are not close blood relatives to each other.

So, whilst you might routinely advise unmarried couples of the benefits of marriage or Civil Partnerships from an IHT perspective, have you ever advised your single Client to do so with one of their potential beneficiaries? If not, now might be a good time to start!

What happens to Cryptoassets when you die?

Posted on by Jade Gani

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ripple, and Ethereum and are controlled independently from a central bank. The currencies use a virtual wallet that contains digital ‘keys’ that are needed to access the currency. The actual currency lives in a digital ledger which is supported by a technology called blockchain. Blockchain is essentially a digital ledger which is extremely difficult to hack, change or cheat. This ensures it’s secure enough to store valuable Cryptoassets.

Whilst there isn’t a concrete legal stance on planning the inheritance of cryptocurrencies, we do know that cryptocurrency is treated in a similar way to other property assets which can be owned, gifted and inherited.

However, it’s not enough to simply include cryptocurrency in your Will. These are the key things to do to ensure the cryptocurrency can be accessed when the Will is being administered:

  1. Include information about your digital wallets in your Will. Never put any specific details about the cryptocurrency in the Will document itself. Once a Grant of Probate has been obtained the will becomes a matter of public record, leaving the information open to fraudsters.
  2. Create a Letter of Wishes with your Will which includes passwords and PINs.
  3. Include a step-by-step guide to explain how your Executors can access your cryptocurrency to distribute, sell or transferred to your beneficiaries.

These steps are extremely important: if a person dies without leaving information about the private keys to the digital cryptocurrency wallet, the cryptocurrency will be lost.

Blockchain is a decentralised and extremely secure process, and there is no way of restoring a private key. Even with a mention in a Will and a valid Death Certificate, accessing the cryptocurrency without the wallet information will be difficult because there’s no central organisation managing these digital wallets to help the Executors and would-be beneficiaries.

There are a number of different ways to store digital wallet information including:

  • A hot wallet – the private key is kept online. The risk here is that it may be targeted by fraudsters;
  • A cold wallet – where the key is written on paper, kept on a USB stick, or an offline computer. All of these can be stored in a safe for security;
  • A hosted wallet – where the private key is held by a third-party service; or
  • Banks – some banks allow cryptocurrencies to be bought and sold from a new bank account. They also store wallets and private keys of behalf of clients.

There is no central organisation in charge of these digital wallets, so although the person’s Executors might be able to prove who they and can provide copies of the Death Certificate and Will, it doesn’t help when there is no organisation or regulator to take this information to. The current total market value of cryptocurrencies is estimated at £1.75 trillion worldwide, so failure to plan for the succession of these types of assets appropriately could cost your Estate significantly.

The UK’s approach to taxation of Cryptocurrency

Posted on by Jade Gani

A cryptocurrency is a digital virtual currency which uses encryption technology, or cryptography in its creation to ensure the security of transactions involving its use. The original was Bitcoin, but there are many others including Dogecoin, LiteCoin and Ripple.

Over the past year or so, many types of cryptoassets have gained value and popularity as an investment option. Tesla Billionaire Elon Musk famously invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, and was credited with raiding the prices of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies through Twitter.

The UK’s approach to taxation of Cryptocurrency

As cryptocurrency investment levels and usage increases, global regulators are yet to establish a coherent approach to taxation across all jurisdictions.

There is a school of thought that disposal of crypto assets can be likened to gambling or lottery type winnings, however, this is not correct.

Cryptoassets aren’t treated by HMRC as a currency or money, with HMRC stating that ‘A trade in crypto asset exchange tokens would be similar in nature to a trade in shares, securities, or other financial products’ with case law which treats share trading as a benchmark for the tax treatment of crypto.

In the UK, cryptoasset gains (for Capital Gains Tax) are measured at the point the cryptoassets are sold, including when one currency of cryptoassets is exchanged for another (e.g., exchanging Bitcoin for Dogecoin) so unless there is a disposal there will be no Capital Gains Tax due. HMRC’s guidance notes state that whether tax applies will hinge on whether trade is being carried on. If the buying and selling of exchange tokens amounts to a trade will depend on factors which include frequency, level and type of the organisation and the intention of the exchange.

If it’s determined that the exchange(s) amount to trade, the receipts and expenses become a part of the calculation of the trading profit of that individual or company. This means that the profits from the trade will be also be subject to Income Tax.

For Individuals:

For individuals who are not trading there is a tax-free Capital Gains Tax allowance of £12,300 during the current 2020-2021 and subsequent 2021-2022 tax years. Additional gains will be taxed at either 10% or 20%, but this will depend on the level of the individuals other income.

Finding that an individual’s activities amount to trading, and therefore subject to Income Tax, is unusual. However, if the activity is considered to be trading then for individuals’ Income Tax will take priority over Capital Gains Tax and will apply to profits (or losses). The amount that needs to be paid will depend on the individual’s other income.

What about businesses?

For businesses trading in cryptoassets, the profits or losses will form part of the trading profits instead of being a chargeable gain for Capital Gains Tax.

Because crypto isn’t treated as a currency, companies are likely to exchange tokens as ‘intangible assets’ which will be taxed under Corporation Tax rules for intangible fixed assets if the token is an ‘intangible asset’ for accounting purposes and an ‘intangible fixed asset’ which means the asset has been created or acquired by a company for use on a continuing basis. However, if the tokens are held by the company, they will not meet this definition.

When the gains and losses are calculated from the disposal of crypto tokens, not all costs will be allowable as a deduction, as governed by Section 38 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992. HMRC’s view is that deductible costs include:-

  • The consideration (in £ sterling) originally paid for the asset;
  • The transaction fees paid for having the transaction included on the distributed ledger;
  • Advertising for a purchaser or vendor;
  • Professional costs to draw up a contract for the acquisition or disposal of the tokens; and
  • Costs of making a valuation or apportionment to be able to calculate gains or losses.

These will be deducted against profits for Income Tax will not be allowable as deductions for Capital Gains Tax. VAT will also be due in the normal wat on goods or services sold in exchange for cryptoasset exchange tokens.

Sources:

Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/ec2dc503-467a-4627-b35c-1c5aebb65010

Accountancy Daily: https://www.accountancydaily.co/hmrcs-cryptocurrency-tax-treatment-introduced-without-law

HMRC Cryptoassets Manual: https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/cryptoassets-manual

 

Aston Bond Shortlisted for Several Award’s at the Probate Research Awards 2021

Posted on by Jade Gani

We are delighted to announce that Aston Bond have been shortlisted for several award categories at the Probate Research Awards 2021, namely the ‘Best Probate Law Firm London & the South East’, ‘Young Wills and Probate Professional’, ‘The Unsung Hero Award’ and the ‘Best Community Contribution’ award.

Best Probate Law Firm London & the South East

“Probate solicitors are experts in estate administration and have legal, accountancy and administrative skills as well as patience and understanding.  This award recognises not only the excellence of the services these solicitor firms deliver but also the best support they provide to probate researchers.”

The Wills & Probate team at Aston Bond are overwhelmed to have been shortlisted for this award. We pride ourselves on delivering a high standard of service to our Clients going above and beyond to assist, often free of charge, via the free initial consultations that the Wills & Probate team offer.

Young Wills & Probate Professional Award – Jade Gani

“This award recognises a solicitor who has excelled in their role or made a significant difference to their firm.”

Aston Bond is beyond proud that the head of our Wills & Probate department, Jade Gani, has been shortlisted for this award.  She has shown incredible determination continuously during a challenging year to ensure the success of the department and to motivate and encourage her team throughout.  Not only did Jade respond and adapt the department’s services effectively to accommodate our services for those that are most in need, but she has also engineered the ‘Free Wills for NHS staff’ offer which has been ongoing during the whole pandemic.

The Unsung Hero – Ilinca Mardarescu & Rachel Jones

“This award celebrates the people in a firm who may not usually be recognised but play a vital role to the success of the team.”

Aston Bond is delighted that not one, but two, of its super-star employees have been shortlisted for this award.

Ilinca Mardarescu, Director & Head of our Employment department, has been shortlisted for this award in recognition of her uplifting team spirit and the many duties that she undertakes beyond her job role, managing HR, organising events and many more admin roles that are fundamental in the running of a successful law firm.

Rachel Jones, Trainee Solicitor in the Private Client department, has also been shortlisted for this award in recognition of the unwavering support she has shown to the Private Client department and its clients during the pandemic, demonstrating skills and knowledge beyond her years, as well as helping with general firm admin tasks such as assisting with the running of the postal system and telephone lines during the pandemic.

Best Community Contribution

“This award is about recognising an individual or organisation that made a considerable and special contribution to the community.”

Aston Bond takes social responsibility seriously, so we are humbled to have been shortlisted for this award, in recognition of the strong community spirit that the firm values and its focus on giving back to the local community.  Examples of recent community events that Aston Bond has undertaken include the annual London Legal Walk (which took place in Windsor last year due to the pandemic), contributing to the ‘Learning to Work’ scheme to help students with their career paths, and donating some of our legal fees to local charities.  In addition to this, the Private Client department has been offering free Wills to NHS & Thames Hospice staff throughout the pandemic, and the Head of the department, Jade Gani, has launched the Wishing Will Foundation CIC with the directors of the firm, Duncan Thomson and Stephen Puri, whereby all legal fees are donated to associated local charities, like Thames Hospice.

Aston Bond is looking forward to the virtual awards ceremony being held on the 29th April 2021, and wishes all other shortlisted the very best of luck!

Aston Bond Appoints New Director

Posted on by Jade Gani

Aston Bond Law are delighted to announce that our Head of Employment Law, Ilinca Mardarescu, has been newly appointed to the role of Director at the firm. Ilinca makes Aston Bond history by becoming the first female board member since the firm was formed in 2004. She is a formidable expert in her field and integral team member whom we are sure will lead the way into a prosperous and successful New Year. 

Ilinca commented that she is thrilled by the new challenges her appointment will present: “Aston Bond is like a family to me.  Staff take pride in their work and genuinely care about doing their best for their clients. I am proud to call them my colleagues and am eager to contribute to the continuing growth of Aston Bond.”

As a firm, we are excited to continue to grow and develop in different and exciting ways throughout 2021, which wouldn’t be possible without the dedication Ilinca champions within the team. So, we warmly congratulate Ilinca on starting this new role and sincerely look forward to her leadership.

More About Ilinca

Ilinca qualified in 2002 and has specialised in Employment Law since early on in her career. She undertakes work for both employers and employees alike, acting on a broad range of issues such as dismissals, health and safety , discrimination, TUPE and restrictive covenants.

Ilinca has undertaken advocacy at a number of Employment Tribunals throughout the country dealing with various applications, interim and full hearings.   She has brought cases at the High Courts for enforcement of restrictive covenants and has dealt with and obtained injunctions on behalf of her clients.

Ilinca has provided human resources support for various companies including being on-site to deal with disciplinary and grievance matters and assisting human resources in managing sickness and absences. She has also assisted with the Employment Law aspects of various mergers and acquisitions.

If you would like to speak with Ilinca about your Employment Law needs then please do not hesitate to contact her on: 01753 486 012 or email her at imardarescu@astonbond.co.uk    

Soft Skills: The Key to Unlocking Client Satisfaction

Posted on by Jade Gani

Never underestimate the power of a kind word or gentle touch, especially if you are a legal professional working in the Private Client sector. Your soft skills can earn you loyal Clients for life yet, as young lawyers learning and training – and even as experienced lawyers, they are very often grossly underappreciated.  

Our Clients will be facing some of the toughest decisions of their life whilst possibly also dealing with an illness, vulnerability or grief. If you want to be remembered as the professional-yet-compassionate pillar-of-strength they need to call in those difficult times, then you need to master your ability to relate and empathise as well as honing your knowledge and technical skills. 

It all sounds simple, doesn’t it? Don’t be a robot, do be a human. Yet, having entered the legal professional to help make a difference to people’s lives, so many lawyers I have known (or my clients have known) still come across as rigid, cold and unsympathetic. So, here are just a few of many small changes you can make to help improve your soft skills and better your Clients’ experience. 

Be Sincere About a Client’s Loss

Do we really think saying “Please accept my condolences for your loss, now moving on to business” makes us seem genuine? Sure, we deal with death on a daily basis and that can desensitise you to the subject sometimes. However, you always have to remember that to your Client, this isn’t just a file on your desk, it is a piece of their world, their heart, their life that has been taken from them. If your Client is collected enough, ask questions about the Deceased to get to know them better. After all, you will be dealing with their most intimate affairs from here on out. 

When you are first notified of a death, take a moment to really listen to your Client. If they tell you that the Deceased was poorly for a long time, let them know that you are sorry they suffered. If they say the death was sudden, ask how they are coping with the shock of it all and explain how you are there to help in any way they can. Encourage your Clients to focus on the funeral first – it is a critical part of the grieving process that is more important than immediately securing your signed terms of business. 

Be Aware of Key Dates & Occasions

Take two minutes out of your usual file setup process to log or diarise some important dates and/or occasions. For example, you might want to make a note of the Deceased’s birthday, anniversary of death or wedding anniversary so that you are cautious of what communications you have with your Clients around that time. Their sole focus will be making it through those occasions for the first time without their loved one, and they won’t be inclined to tell you themselves not to contact them on those dates. So make a note not to disrupt them at that time – nobody wants to be reminded of their loss and the administration involved on these occasions. 

If you want to go the extra mile, you might also want to note the birthdays of your Clients and avoid these too – there are so few occasions to celebrate in the wake of grief, you wouldn’t want to mar the rare moment. It might sound like added administrative tasks you could do without, however, you will already have all this information to hand from ID, Death Certificates, Marriage Certificates etc, so it isn’t really all that difficult. 

Remain Flexible

Your Clients might want to undertake certain tasks on their own – like distributing personal items or cancelling passports etc – and this can help with their grieving process. Other times, they will worry and stress about everything little thing that needs to be done. Re-assure your Clients that you are there to help with as much, or as little, as they need – that’s your job. Remind them, when they call or email about a worry or concern that they are not ‘bothering’ you – that’s your job too! 

With Clients who seem capable and willing to close an account or investment etc, you will garner more goodwill by being honest with them and saying that you think they could do it just as easily as you, if they want to. If you are up-front like this, they will trust you when you say that something really requires an expert hand. Further, where there is the death of the first spouse, offer to help with SEV forms or give general advice about joint assets etc. It will take you two minutes to do and your Client will never forget the gesture. 

Small Gestures Now Make a Big Difference Later

We all know that the best kind of referrals are the ones made by your happy Clients to their friends, family & colleagues. There are so many ways that you could adjust your working and improve your soft skills which will boost your Client base in this way that I could write a whole book; and I am still learning too! Hopefully, if you adopt some of the suggestions in this article you will start to see great results in your Client satisfaction, just as I have seen with my own Clients. But, like all good referrals, why should I ramble on when I can let my Clients do the talking for me…

Testimonials

“I appreciate your clear and compassionate advice and enjoyed meeting you” 

“I wanted to drop you a note to pass on a huge thanks to Jade for all her hard work, attention to detail and a genuine human touch that’s been so appreciated” 

“From the moment I met Jade, she stood out from all of the other solicitors I had met to and spoken to. In such a difficult time, she was the only one that showed real human care and empathy and made us feel at ease” 

“Jade came across as attentive and knowledgeable – we felt like we were in really good hands from the start”

“Jade has been so approachable and understanding, yet factual and logical – it’s not often you come across someone working in this field who has these combined qualities”

“With many grateful thanks for being a shining light & great support at a difficult time for me over this last year or so. You are indeed a treasure!”

“Thank you for all your incredible help – I could not have done this without you (professionally and personally!)” 

No Children, No Allowance? Not If We Can Help It!

Posted on by Jade Gani

At Aston Bond, our Private Client department prides itself on going the extra mile for our Clients. So when our Clients’ started having to pay more Inheritance Tax than others simply because the Client had no children of their own, Jade Gani (Solicitor & Head of Private Client) thought she would do something about it. 

The Residence Nil Rate Band: 

At current rates, everybody has an individual initial Inheritance Tax allowance of £325,000.00 that applies against their Estate. Anything up to this amount is passed to your beneficiaries’ tax free. It doesn’t matter what assets your Estate consists of, or who you pass it to, the allowance simply applies. 

In recent years, the government have introduced an additional allowance known as the Residence Nil Rate Band allowance. This initially started as an extra £100,000.00 allowance and has increased each year to its current maximum of £175,000.00, where it will stay for the foreseeable future. However, this allowance is not as flexible as the ordinary Nil Rate Band allowance as it has a few caveats to it. 

Firstly, you must own an interest in a property that you have used as your main residence. Then you must leave that interest to “lineal descendants”, which the government largely defines as your children, grandchildren, step-children, adopted children and foster children. You also can’t leave the property to your children in most types of Trust without forfeiting the allowance. 

The government has stated that they expect this allowance will mean “the proportion of estates with a residence being left to direct descendants may be expected to increase as people change their wills over time so that their estates can benefit from the main Residence Nil Rate Band to a greater extent.” Meaning that it helps deter families tying up assets in trusts and ensuring the next generation get the helping hand they need. 

The Problem:

The main issue with the legislation is that it disproportionately effects the increasing number of people who do not have children. According to a Telegraph report, in 2016 nearly half of women aged below 30 did not have children, and 18% of women aged 31-45 were childless too. Using Statista records from 2018 this means that of the total women aged 20 to 40 years, there are approximately 5.94 million women who do not have children of their own. Of course, this figure would increase considerably if we include childless men too. 

If a person is not able to claim the Residence Nil Rate Band then it could mean their beneficiaries miss out on saving £70,000.00 in tax for individuals (or £140,000.00 for couples). This saving could make a huge difference to the younger generation who are notoriously struggling to get on the property ladder themselves. However, the government claim they have “no evidence to suggest that the measure will have any significant adverse equalities impacts”.

The Solution: 

Nearly all of the Clients that we see who do not have children of their own, tell us that they want to leave their Estate to their nieces and nephews because they “consider them to be like children” of their own. If the government’s true intention is to ensure the passing of assets down generations, then surely there is no reason why they can’t change the legislation to include nieces and nephews (by blood or marriage) too. 

That is why we are petitioning the government to make a change to the legislation accordingly. If you, or anyone you know could benefit from this change and would like to sign the petition the link can be found here:-

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/326525 

If you have any questions about this petition, your Estate or the Inheritance Tax regime, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01753 486777 

Witnessing wills via video conferencing… the risks!

Posted on by Jade Gani

Section 9 of the Wills Act 1937 sets out the requirements for a valid Will. One of those being, that ‘no Will shall be valid unless… (c) the signature is made or acknowledged by the testator in the presence of two or more witnesses present at the same time, and another being that … (d) ‘each witness either attests and signs the Will or acknowledges his signature in the presence of the testator (but not necessarily in the presence of any other witness) but no form of attestation shall be necessary. 

With the whole country being in lockdown the last few months, and the concerns of COVID-19, a vast number of people have been using this time to prepare their Wills and put their affairs in order. However, social distancing, and those most vulnerable having little contact with others as they self-isolate in their homes, has made it difficult for Wills to be properly witnessed and executed in person.  

In order to make the Will signing process easier in the current climate, the government have announced temporary and retrospective (for Wills created on 31 January 2020 onwards) laws to allow the witnessing of wills to be conducting via video conferencing, in a five-stage process as per Government Guidance which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-on-making-wills-using-video-conferencing#video-witnessing. 

As the new laws and rules surrounding the execution of Wills makes it easier to witness Wills, what are the risks behind this? 

There can already be concerns about whether the Testator is under duress, undue influence or coercion when making and signing the Will, given the vast and varied emotions that can be experienced by the Testator and their loved ones surrounding the topic of Wills. No doubt, not being physically present in a room whilst the Will is being executed is only going to increase this concern. Particularly given that we do not actually know who is present in the room whilst the Will is being signed by the Testator, even where say for example you had a camera providing a 360 degree view of the entire room. Even in such a circumstance we still would not ever really know who is behind the door, under the table or through the corridor! It is much easier for an individual to hide from a camera than it is the eyes of someone physically present in the room, that person who would be able to assess the surroundings and the body language of the Testator. These concerns surrounding the validity of a Will on the basis of fraud, coercion and undue influence are likely to increase the number of contentious probate cases we see in the future. 

Furthermore, once the Will has been signed by the Testator, the Will then needs to be given to the two witnesses for them to sign. This inevitably will increase the time is takes for a valid Will to be formed, particularly where the Will is being sent to the witnesses by post or even being collected and dropped to the witnesses for those who most vulnerable and those unable to travel. With this there come risks of the Will being lost or damaged in the post and even the risk that the Testator may pass away before the Will is signed by everyone, making it valid. 

Given the risks associated with witnessing Wills via video conferencing, this option should be used as a last resort. It is far better to have a professional facilitate the proper execution and production of a valid Will, and no doubt they will already have appropriate safe guarding measures/policies in place to protect Testators and safety measures with regards COVID-19.    

The legislation and any relevant guidelines will need to be clearly drafted to avoid any ambiguities and minimise the risk of a currently inevitable increase in contentious probate matters.

Our team have all the best policies and procedures in place to make sure a video-witnessed Wills are valid and completed efficiently. If you would like to discuss this with a member of the team then contact us today on 01753 486777 or jgani@astonbond.co.uk 

Testimonial on Financial and Legal Support

Posted on by Jade Gani

We share a glowing testimonial that our Head of Wills Jade Gani received from a client. This matter will be included in our upcoming Estate Planning Webinar.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Karan and Jade for all the support they have given me and my family over the last 3 years. They have worked seamlessly together to provide a package that covered all the financial and legal support we required in a very professional manner.

In 2017 my husband and I decided to invest his pension with a view to maximise the amount available to use and to minimise the amount of inheritance tax that would need to be paid. We were introduced to Karan and his company through my husband’s parents.  Karan provided us with several options to consider in a thorough and knowledgeable manner.  He also clearly explained the positive and negative aspects of each suggestion.  Alongside Karan, Jade helped us to update our Wills and set up financial and health LPA’s for both my husband and myself.

We had a significant change in circumstances in March 2020 when my husband died of pancreatic cancer.  Jade and Karan provided excellent support and advice about how to deal with the legal and financial aspects of the transfer of our existing investments to myself and our two sons.  The inheritance tax implications were also explained very clearly,  Jade also supported me with the legal aspects of my husband’s death such as Grant of Probate and the Land Registry.  Karan advised us on the best way to invest the Critical Illness insurance funds and the Death in Service payment and, again, provided a very comprehensive and flexible proposal which allows me to draw an income from the investments while still protecting our children’s inheritance.

I would highly recommend both Karan and Jade for the financial and legal advice they provided.”

Next week Aston Bond Law will partner with K C Wealth Management Senior Practice of St James’s Place Wealth Management to bring you a detailed examination of a case study that highlights the importance of timely Estate planning across both the legal and financial sectors.

Click here to find sign up to the event 

Estate Planning Webinar: Industry Update and Case Study

Posted on by Jade Gani

Aston Bond Law are proud to partner with K C Wealth Management Senior Practice of St James’s Place Wealth Management to bring you a detailed examination of a case study that highlights the importance of timely Estate planning across both the legal and financial sectors.

Our Head of Private Client, Jade Gani, and Financial Planner at K C Wealth Management Senior Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, Karan Chandreja, have teamed up to provide an industry update and to demonstrate the power of appropriate referrals using a case study based on real life events. The webinar is suitable for professionals across the legal and finance sectors alike, as well as individuals who are (or should be) considering taking Estate planning steps. The Webinar will: identify the financial and legal landscape challenges we currently face; demonstrate what advisors should always keep in mind when taking new instructions; and highlight the most appropriate methods to signpost cross-sector referrals.

Webinar Details: 29 July 2020 at 11:30am via Zoom. Click here to book your place.

Webinar Agenda:-

  1. Introductions to K C Wealth Management & Aston Bond;
  2. Current Financial & Legal Landscape-Challenges Facing Families & Businesses;
  3. Key Estate planning considerations with particular reference to Wills;
  4. Holistic Financial Planning for Successful Retirement & Succession;
  5. Tax planning solutions;
  6. Questions and next steps.

Will writing involves the referral to a service that is separate and distinct to those offered by St. James’s Place. Wills are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

If you would like to join the webinar please register your interest here:- Click here to register Details of how to join the webinar will be provided following registration.