First, what is an unclaimed estate? An unclaimed estate or unclaimed inheritance refers to what happens when someone dies intestate, i.e. without leaving a will, or it might happen when an old will is in place and the person’s intended beneficiaries died before they did. The general rules of intestacy are—the person’s spouse or civil …
Continue reading “Who is entitled to an unclaimed estate?”
What do you do if a member of the Finders International team contacts you? It can feel surreal, especially if you’ve never heard of the person whose estate we talk about. But here are some of the suggestions we recommend to give you peace of mind. The first question that likely springs to mind is—why …
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The modern world is a complicated place and nowadays family structures can be based on a multitude of different models. Gone are the days when only a husband and wife held a property jointly together. We are seeing the rise of co-ownership between friends and families in greater numbers than ever before. Many bring different …
Continue reading “Co-owning Property – How to protect your share”
Recent research has revealed that one fifth of parents have transferred assets to their children to lessen the amount of inheritance tax payable on their estates. Direct Line’s research revealed this amounted to more than 6.9 million parents and the assets moved amounted to £27 billion, an average of £32,920. In addition, another 6.5 million …
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The Bona Vacantia is a list of unclaimed estates in England—i.e. estates where someone has died without a will and who has no known family. Bona Vacantia is a Latin term which means vacant goods. By law, ownerless property passes to the Crown, though heir hunting firms will often seek out heirs so that entitled …
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A week after the budget and a sting in the tail. The government will re-introduce the unpopular and unfair increase to the fees for obtaining a grant of probate by Statutory Instrument with effect from 27th November 2018. You might recall their attempt to do this last year, which was withdrawn due to the general …
Continue reading "The New Death Tax"
The concerns and problems raised by Universal Trustees, its conduct and its subsequent compulsory liquidation are now clear to all those former clients of the company. Many people were persuaded to set up trusts, transfer assets or complete Wills – all actions that were presented to them as tailored to their specific needs. Perhaps, for …
Continue reading “Is a Trust the Right Thing for You?”
Prominent amongst the property related reforms in the Budget was the announcement of additional Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) relief for first time buyers of shared ownership properties up to a maximum of £500k in England and Northern Ireland. For properties over £500k, no exemption is available and you’ll have to pay SDLT at the …
Continue reading “More good news on Help to Buy”
Do you like giving cash or presents, perhaps for birthdays, Christmas/other religious holiday, weddings etc? Most people do. But are you aware of the potential impact these gifts could have on your estate when you die, especially where you like to make multiple gifts each year? A PET is a term lawyers use for Inheritance …
Continue reading “PETs…. Not the ones we cuddle at home”
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