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Looking for a way to remember your loved ones? Have you ever considered commissioning a bespoke piece of jewellery to capture a memory you can wear everyday... At Omorose Boutique, a family-run company, that's exactly what can be achieved. From personalised fingerprint necklaces to engraved words/notes or pictures on keyrings and bracelets, you'll have the unique opportunity to celebrate the lives of those you've lost in a beautiful way. Personalisation is at the forefront of everything they do, so just like the rest of their jewellery you’ll find the Custom Collection filled with thoughtful and meaningful pieces that you can really make your own - from having your loved ones finger prints engraved to a pendant to adding a loved one’s name and birthstone to your Jewels. Plus, use the code Newlife10 for 10% OFF Shop the memorial range here > *Coming Soon! Incorporate your loved ones' ashes into bespoke pieces of jewellery*

Making a Will? As Will Writers, we know all the ins and outs when it comes to drafting a professional Last Will and Testament... When you decide to go ahead and protect your loved ones future by putting a Will in place, it's difficult to know where to start. Here at Newlife Wills we like to make the Will Writing process as seamless and stress-free as possible. Here's a brief guide to what you should include when writing your Will, such as Funeral wishes, making provisions for your children and what you'd like to leave and to whom... Tip #1 - Name your Executor First things first, you'll want to name an Executor. An Executor is the person responsible for overseeing the distribution of your assets in accordance with your wishes, so you'll want to choose someone neutral who you can trust. You should consider choosing someone who is most likely to survive you and work within the best interests of your beneficiaries. This can be someone close to you (friend/relative) or you may prefer to pick a professional such as a solicitor or a bank? The role of Executor is a big responsibility for the person chosen and includes many duties, so you'll need to consider choosing someone who you feel is up to the job. Tip #2 - Funeral Wishes Writing your Will gives you the opportunity to lay out any funeral wishes you may have. Whether it's a cremation or burial, what music or flowers you'd like, plus much more. If you do make Funeral wishes known in your Will, it's a good idea to mention this to loved ones as family members may start planning the funeral before the Will has been read. "At Newlife Wills we pride ourselves on our 5-star customer service - we will support you throughout the Will Writing process which can be daunting to some." – Rob Collison, CEO & Founder of Newlife Wills. Tip #3 - Make it personal Feel free to include personal details and examples. The more relatable you or your website is, the more you connect with your readers. Tip #4 - Name Legal Guardians for your children. If your children are under the age of 18, then you can set out care provisions for them within your Will. You can name legal guardians for them in the event of your (and your partners') death. We strongly advise speaking with the chosen guardians before naming them in your Will - taking on Legal Guardianship for someone's children is a huge responsibility so you need to make sure they are willing and able to undertake this if the event was ever to arise. Tip #5 - Including your Money / Assets Here at Newlife Wills, we find the main reason our clients decide to make a Will, is to be clear about who should inherit their money and assets after they die. To do this efficiently, you will not only need to consider what you own now, but what assets you may also have at the time of your death. Your 'Estate' is the collective term for everything you own. This includes any property that you own in your sole name as well as your car, your savings and your personal possessions. It also includes things such as life insurance policies, pension schemes, stocks, shares and premium bonds. If you own a property jointly with another person as joint tenants, then your share would automatically pass to them on your death, so you cannot include this in your Will. If you own a property jointly with someone else as tenants in common, then your share of the property can be included in your Will. For more information on how it works - please get in touch with one of our experts on 01843 269165. Get in touch for all your Will Writing & Estate Planning needs, we're here to support you. Writing your Will can be a daunting process for many, but it needn't be. Here at Newlife Wills, we find our clients experience a great sense of relief and peace of mind after writing their Will with us and making their wishes known. For more expert advice, get in touch with us on 01843 269165 or email on enquiries@newlifewills.co.uk

Protect those you love by planning for the future. Put your Will in place with us today and we'll guide you through the whole process from start to finish. We offer a 25% discount to NHS staff and your initial consultation is FREE! There's no better time to live for today, by planning for tomorrow! Get in touch on 01843 269165 or drop us an email at enquiries@newlifewills.co.uk

It took a long time, but estate planning laws have almost caught up to technology. Now, your estate plan is incomplete if it doesn’t have arrangements for your digital life, including accounts, files, transactions, and more. Digital assets include any online account or service protected by log-in security, such as identification and passwords, such as email, social media, message board accounts, and subscriptions. Your computer, computer files, files you store on “cloud accounts” and any web domains you own are digital assets. Online financial accounts of course are digital assets. A smart phone and all the apps and other items on it are digital assets. Medical records are being digitized and accessible online, making them part of your digital estate. First, develop an inventory of your digital assets. This includes all the items listed above and any others you can think of. You also should include what might be called digital liabilities. These are any automatic payments, whether they are automatically issued from your accounts or charged to credit or debit cards. Also include hybrid assets. An example is a standard financial account or IRA that allows online access and management. List the name and web address of each account or asset, and any account number. Include the full name on the account, whether it is your name, your spouse’s name, both names, or a business name. Include all the information needed to access the account or item. Typical information includes a username or personal ID and a password. If a second authentification step sends a pass code to a cell phone or other device, include details about that. Security questions and answers set up with the account need to be included. After completing the inventory, decide who should have access to each item and how it should be handled after you pass away. Then, have those wishes included in your will and living trust. The succession of digital assets used to be a difficult legal issue. Many providers refused to allow access accounts and wouldn’t give passwords or other access information to executors or family members. The executor doesn’t have access to email, text messages, and social media accounts without express permission in a will, trust, power of attorney, or other legal document or order. Be clear in your will, trust, and power of attorney who should have access to and management ability over each of the digital assets and accounts. In a typical plan, you give the executor access to financial accounts, any other valuable digital assets and any digital account needed to settle the estate. The executor will manage them and eventually transfer them to new owners as directed under your will or trust. The executor also will ensure bills are paid while the estate is being processed and eventually turn off automatic payments and cancel subscriptions. You might want the executor to have access to all your digital assets. Or you might want someone else to see and manage email, social media accounts, and any other personal digital assets. Keep in mind that digital asset providers often have their own policies. Google, for example, lets you designate in your account profile who can access your account after you pass. Other providers have other policies. If you want to know more about what digital information to leave in your Will, contact us on 01843 598620 We hope you found this article helpful, Newlife Wills team

A power of attorney is a very important estate planning tool, but in fact there are several different kinds of powers of attorney that can be used for different purposes. Before executing this crucial document, it is important to understand what your options are... A power of attorney allows a person you appoint - your "attorney-in-fact" or agent - to act in your place for financial or other purposes when and if you ever become incapacitated or if you can't act on your own behalf. There are four main types of powers of attorney > Limited. A limited power of attorney gives someone else the power to act in your stead for a very limited purpose. For example, a limited power of attorney could give someone the right to sign a deed to property for you on a day when you are out of town. It usually ends at a time specified in the document. General. A general power of attorney is comprehensive and gives your attorney-in-fact all the powers and rights that you have yourself. For example, a general power of attorney may give your attorney-in-fact the right to sign documents for you, pay your bills, and conduct financial transactions on your behalf. You could use a general power of attorney if you were not incapacitated, but still needed someone to help you with financial matters. A general power of attorney ends on your death or incapacitation unless you rescind it before then. Durable. A durable power of attorney can be general or limited in scope, but it remains in effect after you become incapacitated. Without a durable power of attorney, if you become incapacitated, no one can represent you unless a court appoints a conservator or guardian. A durable power of attorney will remain in effect until your death unless you rescind it while you are not incapacitated. Springing. Like a durable power of attorney, a springing power of attorney can allow your attorney-in-fact to act for you if you become incapacitated, but it does not become effective until you are incapacitated. If you are using a springing power of attorney, it is very important that the standard for determining incapacity and triggering the power of attorney be clearly laid out in the document itself. Regardless of what type of power of attorney you use, it is important to think carefully about who will be your attorney-in-fact. Your attorney-in-fact will have a lot of control over your finances, and it is crucial that you trust him or her completely. For more information on choosing an attorney-in-fact, contact us on 01843 598620. #powerofattorney #newlifewills #willwritingservice #margatebusiness #writingyourwill #life #heath We hope you found this article helpful! Newlife Wills team.

It can be a shock to many people when they find out they may have to pay over £100,000 to cover their care home costs. If you or your relative has Capital above the maximum threshold of £23,250 they may want to seriously consider effective legal ways to mitigate their liability to pay for their care costs in the future. In effect to get help with legally avoiding care and nursing home fees in the future. There are a number of ways you can effectively dispose of Capital without breaching the Local Authority Guidelines, including: - Setting up a Trust - Repaying legitimate debts - Producing receipts for legitimate expenditure - Purchasing an Investment Bond with Life Cover (depending on the circumstances and timing of the investment) It is only natural that people are looking at protecting their assets from nursing home fees and looking at how to avoid selling their homes when going into care. One of the most regular questions we get asked is how to avoid selling your house to pay for care... Of course, you cannot deliberately look to avoid care fees by gifting your property or putting a house in trust to avoid care home fees. If you do this your local authority will come after you, and possibly the person that was given the gift, to reclaim what was owed. However, you can mitigate against this... 1. By purposely giving away your property, such as the family home, there is a risk that it is seen as depriving yourself of assets. If you do this, your property may still be assessed when your assets are calculated. 2. There are legitimate reasons as to why you can gift your assets without them potentially being used as part of the calculation to see if you have to pay for your care fees. 3. It is possible to put your house in to a Trust and assign your property to someone else.  However, there have to be other reasons as to why you put your property in to a trust and not just because you don’t want to pay your care fees. 4. Other methods to consider include domiciliary care and having care at home. 5. The most popular way to avoid selling your house to pay for your care is to use equity release.  If you own your own house, you can look at Equity Release. This allows you to take money out of your house and use that to fund your care. The key to avoiding residential care home fees and home care fees is to get professional help as early as possible. Get in contact with us today on 01843 598620 to discuss your Care Home Fee options. We hope you found this article helpful! Newlife Wills team.

It's important to keep your Will stored safely and securely as it's one of the most important documents you will personally own. It must be kept in pristine condition, as any signs of wear or tear will invalidate it. The original versions of legal documents, such as Wills and Powers of Attorney are the only legally binding versions. Scans, photocopies and computer records are not legally valid because they don’t have your original signature on them. The original Will is your only Will and must be kept safely. One place you should never keep an original Will is at home. If you have a fire, flood or burglary, you risk losing your Will. If your Will is damaged in any way, then the courts could declare the Will invalid. You must keep your Will in a safe place; however that place must be easily accessible when the document is needed! There are various ways to store your Will. Your solicitor or Will writer may store it for you at their offices. Get in touch with us today to discuss storing your Will... Call us on 01843 598620 Or email us at enquiries@newlifewills.co.uk We hope you found this article helpful! Newlife Wills team.

Adult children can have an emotionally charged and often juvenile reaction to their parent’s estate planning, especially following a parent’s death... Beneficiaries frequently equate terms of the will with love or lack thereof. Receiving a perceived smaller distribution or not being chosen to be in charge could confirm an adult child’s viewpoint of, “mum always loved you more.” Which child to manage my affairs? One of the most difficult estate planning decisions is who will manage the estate. Many times, this question can halt the estate planning process because parents cannot decide which child to choose. Sometimes, parents decide not to choose one child and select several adult children as successor co-trustees. Should someone else serve? Some parents choose a family member or friend to manage the estate to avoid choosing one child over another. This decision sometimes works well, especially if the trusted person is a financial or legal professional with trust administration experience. But relatives and friends may have favourites, too. They may even dislike one or more beneficiaries. Some potential trustees, especially the parent’s siblings, might be deceased or too infirm to serve. (You should always pick someone you believe will outlive you.) How about a professional trustee? Institutional trustees, like banks and trust companies, can be a good alternative if a suitable family member or friend can’t be found, but they will decline to serve if it’s a small estate. If your estate is small, have very specific or complicated instructions, or are concerned about fees, an institutional trustee is probably not a good idea. Choose results over fairness Your estate plan should have clear instructions to administer it expeditiously and to pass on the most assets possible to beneficiaries. The simplest and least costly trustee choice could be one of your children. It would be the fair choice to pick the one with the least need for the inheritance and is most likely to follow your instructions. Talk with your attorney and your long-term advisors about who would be best. Formally discuss with the child you chose what you expect of them and make sure they are up to for it. Also, discuss with your attorney how to use a trust protector to safeguard the interests of the other beneficiaries. Unlike a trustee, the trust protector does not manage the trust estate but provides a safety valve for specific actions. Communicate the reasons for your choice to the other children to minimise hard feelings. Your children are more likely to consider your choices “fair” if you’ve discussed your reasons with them. You have the right to do whatever you want with your estate assets. However, there may be unexpected consequences to your choices. Let us here at Newlife Wills get your affairs in order for you. We can help with all aspects of Will Writing and Estate Planning. Get in touch with us today on 01843 598620 or enquiries@newlifewills.co.uk Quote SOCIALMEDIA10 for 10% off our services! We hope you found this article helpful, Newlife Wills team.

Whilst writing a will ensures your assets are passed on in accordance with your wishes, it will not protect you from inheritance tax. Unless you plan carefully, the Government could take a hefty chunk out of the estate you leave to your family. Under the current inheritance tax rules, everybody has a nil-rate band of £325,000 with any amount above this liable to tax at 40%. Did you know... Spouses and civil partners can combine their nil-rate bands and leave £650,000 tax-free. You can also leave everything to your spouse in which case no tax is owed. In addition, there is now a main residence allowance which stands at £125,000 for individuals who pass on their home to children, grandchildren, step-children, adopted and foster children. It will rise by £25,000 a year to £175,000 in 2020. This effectively acts as an increase to the existing nil rate band. This means a single person owning a home can currently leave tax-free wealth of £450,000 while a married couple can leave up to £900,000. But what you must also know is the the own home allowance is removed gradually for those with estates larger than £2million. At £2.7million and above it is gone altogether and the maximum that can be passed tax-free is £650,000 for a married couple. However, there are ways to mitigate inheritance tax... For example, you can give away up to £3,000 each tax year which is immediately exempt from inheritance tax. If you did not make a gift of this kind in the previous tax year, you can gift up to £6,000 – £12,000 for couples. You can also make small annual gifts of up to £250 to any number of people each year. If children are getting married, parents can give £5,000 while grandparents can give £2,500. Regular gifts from income, such as meeting grandchildren's school fees, are free of inheritance tax as long as they do not impact on your standard of living. Larger single gifts can also be made but for these to be free of inheritance tax you need to survive for seven years after making the gift. Quote SOCIALMEDIA10 for 10% off our services today! We hope you found this article helpful, Newlife Wills team.

Millions of adults in the UK haven’t made a will, risking their wealth going to the wrong people, according to new figures... Research suggests, that as many as 25 million UK workers may not have taken the step to protect their finances and provide for their loved ones. Why have so many of us put off writing a will? It’s likely that prevailing misconceptions mean some people believe they don’t need one, or it’s harder than it is. Here at Newlife Wills, we'll go through some commonly held beliefs that are stopping you writing a will and explain the reality. 1. Your partner will get everything anyway Wrong! You might assume that your partner will automatically inherit everything after you die, especially once you live together. But that’s not necessarily the case. If you die without a will, the laws of intestacy apply. This means your estate will be shared out in a strict order, based on your family connections. Under these rules, married spouses and civil partners are the first to inherit, but unmarried partners won’t get anything, no matter how long the relationship was. Did you know this? 2. Making a Will is expensive Here at Newlife Wills, we make writing your will as simple as possible, taking you through the process, step by step, with home visits and as much support as you require. Drafting a legally sound will doesn’t have to cost the earth – get in touch with us today on 01843 598620 or email us at enquiries@newlifewills.co.uk for your FREE no obligation home visit to talk you through our services. *Quote SOCIALMEDIA10 for 10% off our services* 3. It takes ages to write a Will You might be surprised to discover you can draft a will in the time it takes to watch an episode of Coronation Street! Newlife Wills estimates that if your affairs are fairly straightforward, you could draft a will in half an hour. You can speed up the process by knowing what assets you have, who you want to benefit, and who to appoint as executors. 4. Your Will can't be changed The wishes you set out in a will aren’t set in stone – so you can change your mind or update it to reflect a change of circumstances. Small changes to your will can be made through a legal document called a codicil. If you want to make a more major change, you can make a new will that replaces the existing one. 5. You need a lawyer to write a Will In theory, you could write a will all by yourself, without the need for a lawyer. However, here at Newlife Wills we don't recommend you do this - take a look at our DIY: Will Danger section for more info on this topic. A will can be made on any sheet of paper and follow any format, as long as it’s signed by you and witnessed by two other people over the age of 18 (or one over the age of 16 in Scotland). However, to make sure it’s legally binding, it’s a good idea to get some support – especially if your circumstances are complicated. Whether you want support writing a will yourself, or you’d like us to write it for you, Newlife Wills can help and we're offering 10% off our services when you quote SOCIALMEDIA10 6. It's obvious who will look after your children In most cases, when a parent dies, the surviving parent will look after any children. But what if both parents pass away at the same time, or one is no longer in the picture? You might have named god-parents for your children, but this isn’t a legally binding arrangement. Even if there is an obvious candidate to be a guardian – such as a family member who’s heavily involved in your child’s care – other relations could step forward to make a claim, leading to family disputes. A will allows you to appoint a legal guardian for your children in the event of your death, which will give you peace of mind. Find out more: will-writing for new parents 7. All your children will get a fair share Dying without a will can inadvertently disinherit the people closest to you. Step-children or foster children cannot inherit from your estate unless you explicitly provide for them in a will, even if they’re living with you. Adopted children, on the other hand, are treated the same as biological children. 8. You're too young for a Will If you have youth on your side, it’s easy to put off writing a will or to decide it’s not something you need to do any time soon. But everyone needs a will – and if you have dependants, it’s vital to protect their needs if the worst happens. In the best-case situation, it won’t have to be called on for many years, but no-one can predict what’s going to happen – and you want to make sure what you have goes to the right people. Read more: Under 30's Will Writing 9. Your Will is valid forever If you made a will years ago, you may think you don’t need to worry about it again. But did you know... when you get married, your will automatically becomes invalid in England and Wales. Should you die, your estate would be split between your new partner and any children (including those from a previous marriage) – which may not have been what you intended. Keep in mind that divorce, on the other hand, won’t invalidate a will. So if you’d like to re-arrange your affairs after splitting with a partner, you’ll need to write a new will as well. Quote SOCIALMEDIA10 for 10% off our services today! We hope you found this article helpful, Newlife Wills team.

A power of attorney is a very important estate planning tool, but in fact there are several different kinds of powers of attorney that can be used for different purposes. Before executing this crucial document, it is important to understand what your options are... A power of attorney allows a person you appoint -- your "attorney-in-fact" or agent -- to act in your place for financial or other purposes when and if you ever become incapacitated or if you can't act on your own behalf. There are four main types of powers of attorney > Limited. A limited power of attorney gives someone else the power to act in your stead for a very limited purpose. For example, a limited power of attorney could give someone the right to sign a deed to property for you on a day when you are out of town. It usually ends at a time specified in the document. General. A general power of attorney is comprehensive and gives your attorney-in-fact all the powers and rights that you have yourself. For example, a general power of attorney may give your attorney-in-fact the right to sign documents for you, pay your bills, and conduct financial transactions on your behalf. You could use a general power of attorney if you were not incapacitated, but still needed someone to help you with financial matters. A general power of attorney ends on your death or incapacitation unless you rescind it before then. Durable. A durable power of attorney can be general or limited in scope, but it remains in effect after you become incapacitated. Without a durable power of attorney, if you become incapacitated, no one can represent you unless a court appoints a conservator or guardian. A durable power of attorney will remain in effect until your death unless you rescind it while you are not incapacitated. Springing. Like a durable power of attorney, a springing power of attorney can allow your attorney-in-fact to act for you if you become incapacitated, but it does not become effective until you are incapacitated. If you are using a springing power of attorney, it is very important that the standard for determining incapacity and triggering the power of attorney be clearly laid out in the document itself. Regardless of what type of power of attorney you use, it is important to think carefully about who will be your attorney-in-fact. Your attorney-in-fact will have a lot of control over your finances, and it is crucial that you trust him or her completely. We hope you found this article helpful! Newlife Wills team.

When someone dies in England and Wales, you may need to go through a process called Probate. This will give you the legal authority to deal with the deceased person's 'Estate', which is the collective term for everything he/she owned. Not everyone will have to go through the Probate process when a loved one dies. But if you do, here is a step-by-step guide of what will be involved... Probate Step 1. Identifying all of the deceased’s assets (property, investments and possessions) and all of their liabilities (debts ranging from loans to utility bills), in order to determine the value of their Estate. At the same time, verifying entitlement to the Estate under the terms of the deceased’s Will, or in accordance with Intestacy laws if they died without a Will, and obtaining the necessary identification documents for those beneficiaries. Probate Step 2. Paying Inheritance Tax to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) where applicable, and submitting the correct Inheritance Tax return (required whether or not there is tax due), and applying to the Probate Registry for the Grant of Representation, being a document confirming the legal authority to administer the Estate. Probate Step 3. After the Grant of Representation has been issued by the Probate Registry, liquidating (selling) the deceased’s assets, settling their liabilities, paying the final Estate administration expenses and accounting to HMRC for any further Inheritance Tax, any Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax due to or from the Estate. Probate Step 4. Preparing Estate accounts documenting all payments into and out of the Estate, and showing the balance left for distribution to the beneficiaries. Sending the Estate accounts to the Personal Representatives (such as the Executor in the Will) for approval. Probate Step 5. Providing there are no challenges to the Estate or other complicating factors preventing distribution at this stage, the final phase will involve transferring any assets that the beneficiaries wish to retain, and distributing the balance of the Estate funds. The good news is that we can offer whatever level of assistance is needed to help you put the affairs the deceased in order, whether that be a complete Probate and Administration service or simply providing advice and assistance on completion of forms or on specific aspects of the administration. To make a no-obligation appointment with one of our Professional Estate Planning Consultants, click here or call the head office on 01843 598620. We hope you found this article helpful! Newlife Wills team.