Why get a Will?

Simplicity

For those left behind when a loved one is lost a Will helps to reduce the hassle, which is important because they won't be in the best frame of mind to deal with it effectively.

Looking After the Children

If you have children under 18 you need to appoint legal guardians to look after them and you need to make arrangements to provide financial support for them. The only sensible way to do so is by making a Will and your Gray's Group consultant will be able to offer guidance and suggestions on how best to provide for the children.

Inheritance Tax

When we visit you we'll tell you what your potential Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill is likely to be, based on the value of your estate and how you wish to dispose of it, but we'll also advise you how you can reduce it very significantly by carefully constructing your will in order to gain maximum benefit from the allowances that are available. Just by careful construction of their Wills, we have been able to reduce our customers' potential IHT liabilities by around £40,000 on average, and in some cases by much more.

However, for more advanced IHT planning we have the Total Trust Plan. Your Will should always be the first step in an effective IHT strategy, but if you have significant life assurance or pension benefits payable on your death, then the Total Trust Plan may be of interest to you.

Happily, for the majority of our customers it is very easy to ensure that the whole of their estate goes where they want it to, and not to the tax man.

Asset Protection

A properly constructed Will allows you to ring-fence assets after your death so that they are secured for the people that you care about. For example,

• If your partner remarries after you die there is a very real danger that what was yours ends up in that new partner's family, and not yours. Your HomeWill can ensure that what you leave goes only where you want it to go.
• If you or your partner needs some form of nursing or residential care in later life your HomeWill can ensure that your estate is ring-fenced for your children or family and not completely swallowed up paying for that care.

Dependants

If you have handicapped or dependent children, or if you have elderly parents or friends that you care for, your HomeWill can make sure that those loved ones are protected even if you aren't around. This is particularly important if you have mentally handicapped or learning disabled children who would be dependent on benefits after your death and we have very robust solutions for those circumstances.