Blog

Diddly Squat? IHT, Trusts & Clarkson’s Farm

“People like me will simply put it in a Trust and, as long as I live for seven years, that’s fine.” Jeremy Clarkson So said Jeremy Clarkson when clashing with the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire in typically flamboyant style when protesting with farmers about Labour’s changes to IHT relief for farmers. A substantial increase of tax…

We’ve adopted a donkey!

We have decided that instead of sending piles of Christmas cards this year, we would adopt a donkey from the Flicka Foundation. Flicka are a local donkey sanctuary based near Penryn. We had a vote in the office which was won by the festively named Sparkle! Sparkle arrived at Flicka in spring 2020 with her…

Wills and Divorce – What you need to know.

Our team often get asked about the impact of divorce on existing legal arrangements such as Wills. Rachel Macwilliam, Solicitor in our family law team, explores the topic of Wills and Divorce. Should I wait until after my divorce to update my Will? When you’ve made the momentous decision to get divorced, making a new…

What are the grounds for contesting a Will?

Everyone’s Will should be a true reflection of their wishes. However, sometimes situations arise where it is thought that this has not been the case. Tegan Pownall explores the subject of how to deal with inheritance disputes, contesting a Will and what is referred to in legal terms as contentious probate. In simple terms, if…

Pensions and Divorce: what you need to know

In this blog which we published a while back, we discussed the part pensions play in divorce settlements. Rachel Reeves’ announced in her autumn budget that from 6 April 2027, “Most unused pension funds and death benefits will be included within the value of a person’s estate for Inheritance Tax purposes”. This will obviously have…

How to prevent your Life Insurance increasing your IHT

Taking out life insurance is something many of us do to protect our families in the event of our death.  However, doing so can unwittingly tip your Estate over the inheritance tax threshold, and mean that your beneficiaries will have to pay HMRC a chunk of the money you had intended them to receive. Solicitor…

3 things first time buyers need to consider

We have seen a recent surge in enquiries from first time buyers, perhaps due to the recent cut in interest rates, the first drop in rates since March 2020 when the UK first entered lockdown.    So, we thought some top tips for first time buyers would be useful. Samantha Bellamy, Chartered Legal Executive at Penderlaw…

Estate Planning for Blended Families

family walking their dog through a field

An estimated 1 in 3 families in the UK now fall into the category of being described as a blended family (or step-family, i.e. one in which a couple lives together with children from their previous relationships). Whilst often having many positive benefits, such families are increasingly involved in bitter inheritance disputes that could have…