by johnireland | Articles
When the Law Decides for You If you die without a valid will in England or Wales, the law decides who inherits your estate. There is no discretion, no flexibility, and no room for what you might have wanted. A rigid set of rules — known as the intestacy rules —...
by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials
Leaving money directly to a vulnerable beneficiary — someone with a disability, mental health condition, addiction, or simply poor financial judgement — can do more harm than good. A direct inheritance above £16,000 can end means-tested benefits like Universal Credit...
by johnireland | Articles
When a Straightforward Inheritance Creates Problems Most estate plans assume that beneficiaries will be able to receive, manage, and benefit from their inheritance without difficulty. For the majority of families, that assumption holds. But for a significant minority,...
by johnireland | Articles
In a 2023 survey by Schroders, 72% of UK adults said they had never discussed inheritance with their parents. Not how much they might receive. Not when. Not under what conditions. And certainly not why. This silence is not accidental. It is deeply embedded in British...
by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials
Sideways disinheritance happens when your assets pass to your spouse, who later remarries, and everything ends up with their new partner’s family. Your children get nothing. It is one of the most common estate planning failures in the UK. The root cause is...
