James & Co

01/12/2023

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/martin-lewis-gives-stark-warning-8944206?fbclid=IwAR3kYr_36UFWkdoMPwGip5s7vyT-bmx4_5MmFYrm2qbN8RDd-KFXvtQZktQ

He said 'If you are not married even if you lived with someone for 25 years and have had four children you may not be left anything'

30/06/2023

Lasting Powers of Attorney allow you to choose who will act for you if you are unable to.

Please don't assume that your family will be able to access your finances, even for care purposes, if you become unable to do so.

📞📞 Give our office a call on 01278 786900 where a member of the team will be able to help answer any questions you may have.

13/06/2023

Work Experience week

09/06/2023

Get in touch now via messenger to book your appointment.

23/04/2023

We are delighted to let everyone know we have moved into our new premises at 43 Victoria Street.

20/03/2020

Here at James and Co we are able to provide assistance over the phone or via Skype.

Please get in contact if you need anything.

25/02/2017

Really interesting article from the Telegraph. If you haven't made a Will yet and you have kids it's a must. The article confirms costs of £250 but we do less than half that!!!!

Over 24,000 children are bereaved of a parent each year in Britain and yet very few people have chosen a legal guardian for their little ones. Rachael Tinniswood outlines the big risks of failing to act and shares some practical advice

There are many child-related issues that keep me awake at night. The hunger strike my toddler embarks on most evenings, guilt-trips over consecutive failures to hit his five-a-day quota, not to mention the toddler himself, imposing his physical presence in a way that would force even Sleeping Beauty out of her 100-year coma.

But it turns out that the one topic that should really be concerning me is the one I’ve ignored for far too long – wills. Or more specifically, just who my husband and I would opt to name as our child’s guardian in one.

Admittedly, just the thought of choosing one family member over another is enough to make me go scuttling back to the washing pile, and it seems I’m not alone. A recent survey by Unbiased.co.uk reveals that more than one half of the UK adult population (58 per cent) is similarly guilty of slacking in the will-making department.

But with children’s bereavement charity Winston’s Wish reporting that over 24,000 children are bereaved of a parent each year in Britain, maybe it’s something that we all should be thinking about.

“Putting off the will-making process is a risky strategy which means that parents are ultimately playing Russian Roulette with their child’s future,” warns solicitor Claire Currie, a partner at Kirwans law firm. “By postponing the process, they are unwittingly putting their children at risk of court-battles, family disputes and potentially even foster care.”

The cost of making a will
Of course, no-one wants to think about dying – even if childbirth does seemed to have turned me into a hypochondriac, convinced I’m about to peg it every time I cough. But there’s another matter that holds many of us back from adding wills onto the long shopping list of baby-related items – cost. There’s a misguided perception that wills can set us back thousands, which Claire dispels by emphasising they can cost as little as £250 per couple.

In fact, when I hear about the potential price of failing to make a will – court proceedings, the chance element of who might be given the keys to my child’s future, and a vulnerable little person in turmoil, making a will suddenly races to the top of my ‘to do’ list.

“If both parents were to die, and no official guardians had been appointed, the children could end up in foster care while the court appoints a guardian of its choosing,” explains Claire. “In addition, without a will in place children are only entitled to an inheritance if their parent’s estate is worth more than £250,000, or if the parent’s spouse has also passed away.”