New Milton Advertiser - Coping With Loss 2021

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COPING WITH YOUR LOSS

Coping with your loss

E xperiencing the loss of a ever have to go through. It is not easy navigating our way through what needs to be done whilst also coping with the grief of losing a family member or friend. The first thing you must do is register the death and sometimes that can be stressful as it can involve chasing medical professionals to submit their paperwork outlining the cause of death. You then have to collect a lot of information on the deceased. Such as their place of birth and their occupation as well as National Insurance numbers. There is also arranging the funeral to consider, sometimes the wishes of the loved one may not be known, which means difficult decisions may have to be made in the absence of any clear guidance and sometimes there can be conflicting wishes between different family members. This can be an emotionally stressful time. loved one can be one of the most daunting things that we

Of course, you also need to establish if they have a Will and work on finding out what bank accounts they had and whether they have any other financial investments. All of this fact finding can be extremely stressful and worrying for family members and friends. Which is why it is so important to do our bit to help eliminate this stress as much as possible by being organised in our lifetime. One way of helping to eliminate this stress and an easy way of being organised is to have all of our financial information in one place, such as a drawer or file in our home. This information should include details of all our current bank accounts, details of any financial portfolios and investments held as well as names and contact details of any accountant and financial

advisor of whom we have current dealings with. The most important thing here to remember is to keep this information up-to-date. If accounts have been closed, shred and throw out this paperwork. In addition, we should always keep a record of what our funeral wishes are, so there is no confusion on our death. Within that important paperwork we should also keep a copy of our Will. Our Will is a very important document as it is the only legal way of recording what we want to happen to our assets upon our death. Wills can not only distribute property, but name an executor, name guardians for children, forgive debts, create trusts for your children or other young beneficiaries and even provide for your beloved pets. Wills can also

be used for Care Home fee planning and Inheritance Tax planning. Wills can be written in a very technical manner in order to achieve things such as tax saving provisions or to provide for vulnerable members of the family. Additionally, the wording of a Will can also seem very simple on the face of it but there can be hidden pitfalls which a family member appointed as an executor does not know about. For example, if a charity or charities are named as beneficiaries, they have very strict rules on how an estate should be administered and if an executor does not follow these rules, the charity could issue litigation proceedings against the executor and the executor could be found to have acted negligently.

There are many complexities to deal with when someone has passed away and what is contained within the Will is very important. The contents of your Will must be considered very carefully as all may not be what it seems. There may in fact be further legal work to achieve the terms of the Will which are not obvious from the wording of the Will, an example of this is the placing of a property into trust. It is, therefore, always a good idea to seek professional advice on the terms of a loved ones Will. Obtaining this professional equipped to deal with the administration of the estate with the correct knowledge and understanding which can often be missed accidentally. advice will ensure that executors are properly

Here at Richard Griffiths & Co we offer personal, expert legal advice from a team of highly skilled and well-respected teams of legal professionals. By providing a consistent point of contact we ensure we build strong relationships with our clients. Our flexible, caring teams listen to all concerns and provide personal tailored advice, giving our clients the confidence and protection, they need. The legal environment can be full of jargon and complex concepts. We pride ourselves on helping our clients cut through the jargon, providing clear explanations and transparent advice to ensure you receive up-to-date advice on how to navigate any challenges they face. Please contact Kelly Rogers at Richard Griffiths & Co for a no obligation conversation on how she can help you ensure you have your affairs in order to assist in the administration of your estate or indeed if you are an executor to a Will, Kelly would be happy to advise on what the technical aspects of this involves. Kelly can be contacted on info@rg-law.co.uk or 01425 616809 , please quote this article when making contact.

Kelly Rogers