Dixon Stewart Solicitors are pleased to welcome Anita Whelan to their New Milton office to head up their private client department. Anita will deal with issues affecting older clients ranging from wills, probate, powers of attorney and deputyship applications to nursing home contracts and funding

I am often asked by clients who are estranged from their children whether they can exclude their children from their wills. Section 1(d) of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 gives adult children the right to contest a will bringing a claim

Inheritance tax is charged on the value of a person’s estate at the time of their death. The tax is charged at 40% over the tax free threshold which is currently £325,000. In 2013/2014 the tax raised £3.4 billion; receipts are forecast to be £4.2

Getting married for the second time or cohabiting with a new partner? I know it does not sound very romantic, but take some legal advice before taking that step. Go into that new relationship with your eyes wide open. Firstly, any Will that you already

When making Wills many couples (those who are married or who have entered into a civil partnership) leave everything they own (their estate) to their surviving spouse or civil partner (their spouse) on the death of the first of them to die. On the death

The inheritance tax regulations changed in 2007 when the “transferable nil rate band” was introduced. Everyone is entitled to a nil rate band for inheritance tax. The nil rate band is currently £325,000. Assets that pass from one spouse or civil partner are exempt from

I wish my partner to have the benefit of the house where I live when I die but I do wish to leave the house to my children. Can that be done? Yes, it can be done. You need to have a specific clause in

I have been working at Dixon Stewart now for in excess of 25 years (I started work when I was very young). One of the things I have noticed is how much longer people are living. This is borne about by statistics. 2013 figures for

The Inheritance and Trustees Powers Act 2014 (the 2014 Act) came into force on 1 October 2014 and changes the way that a person’s estate is divided if they die without a valid will. If the deceased person has a spouse or civil partner but

Do you remember Home Information Packs? They were scrapped in 2010. How time flies. Homeowners putting a property on the market now only have to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate which would normally be arranged by their estate agent. Moving home has however become more