WILLMASTER NEWS UPDATES

Aretha Franklin died leaving her estate in a mess

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 10:21:43 GMT

Aretha Franklin didn't make a professionally written Will and now her family are in turmoil

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ARETHA FRANKLIN LEAVES HER ESTATE IN A MESS.

Aretha Franklin did not have a professional Will drawn up. Instead she wrote her own. Since her death 3 wills have been found and now the family are battling to determine which if any are valid.

Don't leave your loved ones in a pickle, let WILLMASTER write a professional and legally binding Will for a fixed fee.

'A handwritten Will found stuffed beneath a sofa cushion in Aretha Franklin’s Detroit home will be examined by a handwriting expert to prove its validity.

Franklin’s family had claimed when she died last year that the soul legend did not leave behind a will, but lawyers for her estate revealed in May that three wills have been unearthed since then.

Two written in 2010 and discovered in a locked cabinet declared that Franklin’s niece Sabrina Owens and son Theodore White II would be co-executors of her estate. But one written in 2014, which was found under a sofa cushion, saw the names of Owens and White scratched out, with Franklin apparently wanting her son Kecalf Franklin to serve as representative of her estate, which is speculated to be worth $80m. (extract from Independent 2019)

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Do you need a Lasting Power of Attorney?

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 10:30:18 GMT

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 12:12:32 GMT

What happens if I don’t make an LPA?

If you don’t make an LPA, and later become unable to make certain decisions for yourself, there may be a time when no one can legally make decisions for you. This can make things difficult, such as paying bills or care costs, or making decisions about your future care.

If this happens, someone may need to apply to the Court of Protection to become your deputy. This gives them similar powers to that of an attorney. A relative or friend can apply to be your deputy, or a professional may be appointed. The process of becoming a deputy is a lot more time-consuming and expensive than an LPA. A deputy must also do some things on an ongoing basis, such as paying an annual fee and submitting an annual report, so it is usually easier for someone to be an attorney rather than a deputy.

Have you made a Will?

Fri, 03 May 2019 16:47:13 GMT

Why you should make a Will

If you want to be sure your wishes will be met after you die, then a Will is vital.

Here are 6 reasons why it's important to make a will.

1. Reassurance

A will is the only way to make sure your savings and possessions (your estate) go to the people and causes that you care about.

2. Avoiding disputes between relatives

Disputes over wills can cause arguments among family members and may even need a solicitor to resolve them. Leaving a will should remove any doubt about who you want to leave your estate to.

3. Looking after your loved ones

Although it’s hard for loved ones to talk about death, talking about your will can save everyone a lot of worry. Deciding who you want to leave your possessions to (your beneficiaries) can help you make sure they go to the people you intended.

4. Protecting your assets for future generations

A will can ensure that assets are kept within the family and are passed on down the generations.

5. Saving on Inheritance Tax

With a carefully-planned will, you can also cut the Inheritance Tax bill on your estate after your death.

6. Your funeral

Your will can be a way to let people know whether you would prefer to be buried or cremated, and the type of funeral service and music you would like.

7. Avoiding the unintended consequences of intestacy.

Who can inherit if there is no will – the rules of intestacy

When a person dies without leaving a valid will, their property (the estate) must be shared out according to certain rules. These are called the rules of intestacy . A person who dies without leaving a will is called an intestate person.

Only married or civil partners and some other close relatives can inherit under the rules of intestacy.

If someone makes a will but it is not legally valid , the rules of intestacy decide how the estate will be shared out, not the wishes expressed in the will.

Married / Civil Partner

If there are surviving children, grandchildren or great grandchildren of the person who died and the estate is valued at more than £250,000, the partner will inherit:

all the personal property and belongings of the person who has died, and
the first £250,000 of the estate, and
half of the remaining estate.

If there are no surviving children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren, the partner will inherit:

all the personal property and belongings of the person who has died and
the whole of the estate with interest from the date of death.

Children - if there is no surviving married or civil partner

If there is no surviving partner, the children of a person who has died without leaving a will inherit the whole estate. This applies however much the estate is worth. If there are two or more children, the estate will be divided equally between them.

Other close relatives

Parents, brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews of the intestate person may inherit under the rules of intestacy. This will depend on a number of circumstances:

whether there is a surviving married or civil partner
whether there are children, grandchildren or great grandchildren.
in the case of nephews and nieces, whether the parent directly related to the person who has died is also dead
the amount of the estate.

Other relatives may have a right to inherit if the person who died intestate had no surviving married partner or civil partner, children, grandchildren, great grand-children, parents, brothers, sisters, nephews or nieces. The order of priority amongst other relatives is as follows:-

Who cannot inherit

The following people have no right to inherit where someone dies without leaving a will:

unmarried partners (sometimes wrongly called 'common-law' partners)
lesbian or gay partners not in a civil partnership
relations by marriage
close friends
carers