WILL WRITING SERVICES IN WREXHAM AND CHESTER
GM Estate Planning is a family-run firm that provides Will Writing Services in Wrexham and Will Writing Services in Chester. From our Mirror Wills, to a fully bespoke individual Estate Planning Service that can include Protective Wills, Trusts, Guardianship and Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). We also partner with GM Wealth Management, who can provide Inheritance Tax Planning and Long Term Care Planning, as well as other financial advice services.
All of this is designed to give you peace of mind that your family members and loved ones are protected when you die.
At GM Estate Planning, we believe everyone in Wrexham and Chester should have access to affordable, professional and legally binding Wills, that protect them and their beneficiaries, regardless of their estate value. With years of experience in crafting Wills, Trusts & Estate Plans, we are now making it even easier for people in Wrexham and Chester to access our expertise in Will Writing.
WHY CHOOSE US FOR YOUR WILL WRITING SERVICE?
GM Estate Planning is a local, family-owned and run Will Writing Service business and we believe we are uniquely positioned and qualified to help our Clients, their families and the generations to come.
Our membership of The Society of Will Writers means you are dealing with a business who can be trusted. The Society of Will Writers exists to set a high standard of Will Writing, to maintain and uphold that standard, and promote good practice and the protection of clients, in legal terms. Entry to the Society demands an impeccably high level of aptitude and their seal is the assurance to clients that we are a Will Writing Service of ability and integrity.
FIXED PRICE POLICY
At GM Estate Planning, our Fixed Price Policy means that you know exactly what your Will Writing service will cost before you decide to instruct us to act on your behalf. We pride ourselves on our ability to speak in plain English and explain any jargon used in an easy to understand way.
You can view our price list here.
POWER OF ATTORNEY SERVICES
GM Estate Planning is a family-run firm that provides Power of Attorney Services in Wrexham and Chester. Whether you are looking for a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney, a Property and Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney, or both, we can help you make sense of this complex area of Estate Planning and ensure your wishes are met. We also partner with GM Wealth Management, who can provide Inheritance Tax Planning and Long Term Care Fee Planning, as well as other financial advice services.
All of this is designed to give you the peace of mind that your wishes are carried out and your estate is managed properly, should you ever be in a position that you are unable to do that yourself.
HOW MUCH DOES A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY COST?
There is a fee to register a Power of Attorney; in England and Wales, this is £82. Please be aware that it is £82 each for the Property and Finance LPA and the Health and Welfare LPA, so if you register both, the total will be £164. This fee is paid directly to the Office of the Public Guardian.
While it is possible to create your own Lasting Powers of Attorney, this can be complex and there are many things to get wrong that can invalidate your LPA or could mean that the choices you make are not well thought through, or guided in a professional way. This is why we always recommend that you always seek professional help and advice from our experts with this important legal document.
Please note that GM Estate Plannning charges a fee in addition to the fee you pay to register a Lasting Power of Attorney.
FIXED PRICE POLICY
At GM Estate Planning, our Fixed Price Policy means that you know exactly what your Power of Attorney Service will cost before you decide to instruct us to act on your behalf. Our clients tell us that we speak in plain English and explain any jargon used in an easy to understand way.
You can view our price list here.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF POWER OF ATTORNEY
There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney: Property and Affairs, and Health and Welfare. A Property and Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney allows elected Attorneys to deal with the financial aspects of the Donor’s Estate, whereas the Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney allows your Attorneys to deal with your health and care decisions.
Both Lasting Powers of Attorney have only been in existence since 1st October 2007, when they replaced the previous version (known as an Enduring Power of Attorney, or EPA). An EPA created before 1st October 2007 is still valid, but only covers your financial affairs. There are lots of other reasons why, despite still being valid, you might want to consider changing your EPA to an LPA.
WHAT IS A HEALTH AND WELFARE LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?
A Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document drawn up to be used in the event of an individual becoming mentally incapacitated. The document nominates Attorneys to act and make decisions on behalf of the Donor (the person who has created the LPA).
The Attorneys have the power to make decisions on behalf of the Donor about their Health and Personal Welfare, which also includes medical treatment and care.
WHY IS HAVING A HEALTH AND WELFARE LPA IMPORTANT?
From the age of 18 we are treated by the law as adults. If you have an accident or illness that suddenly prevents you from having the mental capacity to make your own decisions, control does not automatically pass to your next of kin, as many people mistakenly believe. It is an incredibly sad fact that one in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime (Source: Dementia Statistics Hub).
Unless you have a Lasting Power of Attorney in place, your loved ones will not be able to act on your behalf and will potentially be prevented from carrying out your wishes about your care and medical treatment?
Should you need care, the local authority could decide which care home you go into, while taking control of your finances to help fund your care fees. Your spouse, partner or family will have no say in the matter and they cannot demand you are moved to a different care home, if they are unhappy with the level of care you are receiving - all they can do is request a move.
WHAT IS A PROPERTY AND AFFAIRS LPA AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
A Property and Affairs LPA allows elected Attorneys to deal with the property and financial aspects of your estate when you are no longer physically or mentally capable to undertake matters yourself. This can include paying bills or collecting pensions, but is equally as important for the bigger decisions, like selling property or paying Care Fees, maintaining and managing your Investments, and making sure you have enough money to provide for your needs during the rest of your life.
Without it, banks, financial institutions, and utilities companies will not speak to your loved ones or allow them any information or control over your assets. Upon being notified that someone has lost mental capacity, many financial institutions will freeze your accounts until proof of the LPA and who the Attorneys are is registered with them.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I DO NOT HAVE AN LPA?
If you do not set up an LPA for your financial and health decisions, initially someone from the Court of Protection or Social Services may be appointed to make decisions on your behalf. Your loved ones will then need to apply to the Court of Protection for a Deputyship, to essentially grant the same powers as an LPA, after you have lost mental capacity. This process can take up to a year, cost thousands in court fees and, once granted, there will be a heavy amount of work, oversight and governance from the Court of Protection over the powers you have been given and the decisions you make on behalf of your loved one.
For these reasons, the cost and time saving alone makes setting up your Lasting Powers of Attorney in advance an obvious choice.
WILL AND TRUST SERVICES
A basic Will cannot do much more than detail your wishes. It will not protect you against factors that can erode the value of your Estate, like Inheritance Tax, Long-Term-Care Fees, Divorce and Relationship Breakdowns.
The good news is that you can take action to protect your legacy in a legal and tax-efficient way, using the law as it was intended to be used by HMRC. The solution is Protective Wills which carve the right types of Trusts through them, bespoke to achieving your Estate Planning goals.
With so many different types of Trust available, it can be confusing to know which is the right Trust for you, and why. We will help you understand the different types of trust and identify which will be valuable to you and your family.
HOW CAN TRUSTS HELP?
Dealing with your Will is all too easy to put off. Fears of being morbid or feeling like there is not much to leave behind, mean all too often people fail to make a Will. However, if you pass away without a Will, your Estate will be left Intestate, meaning your assets will be distributed in a way defined by law – a way which might not be in line with your wishes.
In most instances, creating a Will is easy to do and can be achieved fairly quickly. You can also choose to include a Trust in your Will, which provides added asset protection for those you leave behind.
Through a Will Trust you can:
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protect your estate against potential future care fees
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leave assets to a vulnerable or disabled person
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ensure children from a previous relationship inherit even if you have a new spouse/partner
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mitigate Inheritance Tax liabilities
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Protect your beneficiaries from divorce and relationship breakdowns
FIXED PRICE POLICY
At GM Estate Planning, our Fixed Price Policy means that you know exactly what your Will Trust Service will cost before you decide to instruct us to act on your behalf. Our clients tell us that we speak in plain English and explain any jargon used in an easy to understand way.
You can view our price list here.
CONTACT US
Wrexham Office:
63 Regent Street
Wrexham
LL11 1PF
Chester Office:
Suite 4
Royal House
14 Upper Northgate Street
Chester
CH1 4EE