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Plain-English answers on wills, trusts, powers of attorney, inheritance tax and probate, written by Richard Ansah TEP. Start with the 30-day challenge, or browse by subject.
The 30-day Wealth Protection Challenge
Thirty short reads, one a day, each with one small step. By the end, you will know what your family would face, and what to do about it. You also receive the Finishing Well guide and workbook, worth £19.99, to keep.
Join the challengeYour life policy is in trust. Is it actually outside your estate?
"In trust" is not the same as "outside your estate". Where standard trust forms go wrong.
End-of-life planning: why does it matter?
It decides who makes the calls when you can't, and who receives what you have built.
Protecting yourself legally, financially and medically
Three sets of decisions, and the gap each one fills.
Get comfortable talking about uncomfortable things
Prepare, give notice, practise once. The talk is rarely as hard as the dread of it.
Questions to ask before you might get sick or hurt
Who decides for you, what treatment you would want, and what quality of life means to you.
You're never too young or too old to plan
What changes with age is not whether you need a plan, but what it covers.
Do you have a will or trust to protect your assets?
What a will does, what a trust adds, and when you need one.
Two legal documents everyone needs before they might get sick
The two lasting powers of attorney, and why one alone is not enough.
What is an estate, and how do you protect it?
Everything you own, less what you owe, and what decides where it goes.
The professionals who help you plan
Who does what, and how to tell advice from a sale.
Funeral planning doesn't have to be creepy
Writing down your wishes spares your family a dozen hard decisions.
Protecting your religious beliefs in illness and death
How to make sure your faith is respected when you cannot speak for yourself.
Why wait to experience your bucket list?
Planning for the end is also a reason to live fully now.
Supporting someone with a chronic or terminal illness
The practical help that matters most, and the paperwork to sort early.
Talking to ageing parents about end-of-life matters
How to raise it, and why the decisions are theirs.
Insurance: planning ahead for the right choices
What life cover is for, and why where it pays out matters.
Pre-paying for a funeral: what to know
How pre-paid funeral plans work, and the checks to make first.
Burial options you may not know exist
From natural burial grounds to direct cremation.
Beneficiaries: protecting what an insurance policy pays
Why a policy written in trust can reach your family faster.
Who would look after your children?
A will is the only way to name a guardian for children under 18.
Housing options when you can't live at home
The choices, and how care fees interact with your home.
Keeping records for the people who come next
The information your family will need, in one place.
De-clutter your life: your family will thank you
Every box you sort is one they won't have to.
Hospice and end-of-life care at home
What hospice care offers, and how to plan for it.
Sharing difficult plans with your children
How to tell them what they need to know, at the right age.
Using investments to fund income and care
Planning for the cost of care before it arrives.
Divorce and your children: planning in case you die
What happens to your children, and their inheritance, after a separation.
Estate planning for a disabled child
Protecting their inheritance without risking their support.
Finishing well: don't leave things unsaid
The letters and conversations that matter as much as the documents.
Protecting your dignity and values in illness
Making sure the people caring for you know what matters to you.
Wrap up: where do we go from here?
Thirty days, one plan. What to do next.
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