Britain is clearly a nation of animal lovers – with 50% of UK adults owning a pet. Approximately 10.9 million pet cats and 9.9 million pet dogs exist (not to mention 900,000 rabbits). But what many pet owners don’t realise, is that (regardless of how much a part of the family they are) in the eyes of the law, their…
Around 11,000 pensioners in receipt of the “adult dependants’ addition” will lose up to £70 a week from their state pension. Approximately 11,000 pensioners will see their state pension decline by up to £70 a week following benefit changes introduced a decade ago. Those affected currently receive the “adult dependants’ addition”, which was once payable to hundreds of thousands of…
Civil partnership or marriage? Mixed-sex couples now have the choice It’s now official – heterosexual couples in England and Wales can formalise their relationship with a civil partnership rather than marriage. Civil partnerships were first introduced through the Civil Partnerships Act 2004 and was only available to same-sex couples . As of the 31st of December 2019, mixed-sex couples have…
A couple and their associates are on trial for fraud and murder after allegations they had starved a man, in their care, to death and forged his Will to benefit from his £3.5 Million Estate. Wayne Rickard and his wife Lynda are currently on trial at Reading Crown Court for the murder of their landlord James Anthony Sootheran as well…
Death is never a pleasant experience and can come as a shock at any time of life. On 27th January 2020, the sports world was in mourning as 41-year-old Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people sadly lost their lives when their helicopter crashed in California. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), revealed…
Sadly, every 22 minutes a parent in the UK dies, leaving dependent children. Statistics show that 1 in 20 children will have lost at least one parent by the age of 16. Guardianship is a common trigger for making a Will, with parents keen to ensure that arrangements are in place for their children, should something happen to them. Parental…
A Freedom of Information (FOI) has discovered that almost 2,000 pension advisers have given “potentially unsuitable advice on pensions transfers necessitating further enquiry”. The information follows reports last week that found financial advisers were ‘causing significant harm to consumers’ financial well-being’. Of the number of IFAs who advised clients on defined benefit transfers, between 2015 and 2018, it is almost…
Where do we start in making our last Will and Testament? We all know, we should have already completed the process of writing our final wishes down on paper so that in the event that we die suddenly or at the end of a long life, the people we love don’t have any problems with making our wishes happen. In…
The Heather Bateman Story Michael and Heather Bateman, had been happily married for 28 years, they had a large family of 2 children, 4 stepchildren and 6 step grandchildren. Both Michael and Heather had written Wills, they were both named on the deeds of the house, they shared in London and a cottage in Norfolk, which was a second home,…
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, the number of people with dementia is on a rapid increase. What is dementia? Dementia describes different brain disorders that trigger a loss of brain function. These conditions are all usually progressive and eventually severe. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting 62% of those diagnosed. Other types of dementia include; vascular…
