Make a plan for tomorrow, today.
Whether it is planning for holidays, saving to move house or longer-term retirement plans, you are constantly planning for the future.
However it’s common to overlook making plans to protect you and your family now and throughout your later life. This can involve protecting your assets and taking care of your loved ones when you die.
To help with these complex matters, we can introduce you to Co-op Legal Services. They can provide an expert estate planning service that may be right for you. Their services are available across England and Wales, and cover many areas of legal and inheritance matters.
Please remember, Saffron cannot offer you advice in this area and act solely as an introducer to Co-op Legal Services. It’s important you take the time to check their products and services are right for you.
Reasons to plan now
- To give you and your family peace of mind, now and in the future
- To remove any stress and worry
- To make it clear what you want to happen if you become unable to make decisions yourself
- To protect your home and savings for future generations
- To make sure you can leave as much as possible to your loved ones
- To remove the financial and emotional burden from your family
Wills
Making a Will is possibly one of the most important decisions you can make during your lifetime.
It gives you peace of mind, knowing that your wishes are made clear about what you would like to happen after you die and it makes it easier for your family to deal with your estate when the time comes.
From a simple Will to a complex Trust Will to protect your assets for future generations, Co-op Legal Services can ensure your Will gives you the protection you need.
Why make a Will?
- You get to decide who inherits what
- You appoint the guardians you want for your dependants or children under 18
- You can choose your funeral arrangements
- You can make provision to make gifts to a charity or friends
- You will help preserve the family’s legacy. You can make sure the government doesn’t decide what happens to your assets
Lasting Power of Attorney
Nobody wants to think about what will happen if they become unable to make decisions themselves through illness, an accident or old age.
Having a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) can make your affairs far easier to manage if you become unable to do so. It will remove the burden from your family and significantly reduce the stress and cost to your family at a very difficult time.
An LPA allows you to nominate the people you trust to manage the different aspects of your affairs in the event that you are no longer able to do so for yourself.
Why have an LPA in place?
- To remove the time and cost associated with a Deputyship application to the Court of Protection
- You can appoint family to make decisions regarding personal finances and health and welfare
Probate & Estate Administration
'Probate' is the name generally given to the process of administering someone's estate when they die. When someone dies owning significant assets, a formal 'grant' must be obtained from a court to enable their estate to be collected in and divided between their beneficiaries. The process often involves a lot of complicated legal, tax and financial work. Co-op Legal Services can provide you with clear practical advice on what to do following the death of a loved one and will act on your behalf to make the process easier for you. They take full responsibility for getting the Grant of Probate and dealing with the Legal, Tax (excluding VAT), Property and Estate Administration affairs so you don’t have to.
Bereavement Notification Service
The Co-op Legal Services provides helpful practical advice and assistance following a bereavement. This may include help with financial matters such as providing letter templates for you to give to the bank, building society, pension provider and other financial institutions about your loss. The service can also help with stopping unwanted mail, closing social media accounts and giving advice where there has been a referral to the coroner or there is to be an inquest and much more.
