Wills

Making a Will is the only way of ensuring that after you pass away your estate is distributed as you wish it to be. In addition, if you have young children it is essential that you make a Will to set out who should look after your children if the unthinkable happens and you are no longer around to look after them yourself.

Your Will allows you to decide who should be your executors, (that is who is to be responsible for carrying out your wishes), who should receive what from your estate, what your funeral arrangements should be and perhaps most importantly who should be legal guardians of your children.

In preparing your Will we will discuss all of the options available to you. We will provide you with a Will that is specifically tailored to your particular needs and requirements.

There are many types of Will, including:-

• A single Will for an individual.
• Mirror Wills, where a couple make Wills that are broadly similar, for example leaving the majority of the estate to the surviving partner and thereafter to children in equal shares.
• Wills for so-called “blended” families, where there is a combination of provision for a new partner, but also protected provision for children from a previous relationship.
• Wills containing trusts, either creating fixed interests for specified beneficiaries, or being discretionary for a group of potential beneficiaries.
• Complex Wills for people with complicated asset and financial circumstances, such as overseas domicile or tax residence, offshore assets, assets eligible for Business or Agricultural Property Relief, eligibility for the reduced rate of Inheritance Tax (due to the value of charitable gifts contained in the Will) or the inclusion of sophisticated structures such as options to purchase.

If you need a Will prepared in a hurry, for example because you are travelling or about to undergo an operation and wish to put your arrangements in place first, then please contact us and we will do all we can to assist you.

Although the law is constantly changing in relation to Inheritance Tax, we can also ensure that your will is efficient in relation to Inheritance Tax planning, We can provide specific tailor-made Inheritance Tax planning advice to go alongside the preparation of your Will.

Finally, if you, like so many, are concerned about the possibility of having to fund your own long term care, thus reducing the inheritance that you are able to leave to your children or grandchildren, we can discuss options that might assist you in maximising the inheritance you can leave.

At K J Smith Solicitors, our private client team are members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), an internationally recognised organisation whose members consist of accountants and lawyers and who are specially qualified to advise on and assist with Private Client matters.

Our private client team are also members of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) a specialist group of lawyers who are qualified to advise more elderly clients on matters of particular concern to them.

We offer a free initial 15 minute telephone appointment to give you the opportunity to speak to us, before deciding if you wish to proceed in instructing us to act on your behalf.

Please contact K J Smith Solicitors today on 01491 630000 (Henley on Thames), 020 7070 0330 (London), 0118 418 1000 (Reading), 01753 325000 (Windsor), 01256 584000 (Basingstoke), 01483 370100 (Guildford), 01494 629000 (Beaconsfield), 01235 375500 (Abingdon) or email info@kjsmith.co.uk.

We have offices in Henley-on-Thames, London, Reading, Windsor, Basingstoke, Guildford, Beaconsfield and Abingdon but we service clients in the surrounding areas including Gerrards Cross, Maidenhead, Marlow, Oxford, Slough, Wokingham, and High Wycombe.