AN INTRODUCTION TOESTATE PLANNING

PEACE Of mIND fOR yOU AND yOUR fAmILy

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WHAT IS A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?An LPA is a legal document that allows you to choose, in advance, people to make important decisions on your behalf, should you no longer be able or willing to make them for yourself.

These documents allow you to plan how future decisions should be made for you and who should make them.

Radio Times have partnered with Key Retirement, which has a team of professional estate planners who can arrange everything over the phone for your convenience.

CONTENTS3 WHAT IS A LASTING

POWER Of ATTORNEy (LPA)?

5 WHy CHOOSE KEy RETIREmENT?

6 CHOOSING THE RIGHT PEOPLE

THE ImPORTANCE Of AN LPA

7 yOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

8 OUR WILL WRITING SERVICE

10 5 REASONS yOU SHOULD mAKE OR REVISIT yOUR WILL

11 REAL LIfE STORy

PROPERTY AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Allows you to nominate someone to make decisions about the running of your fi nances and ownership of property.

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Allows you to nominate someone to make decisions about the healthcare you may need in the future.

A TRUSTED PERSON CAN:PROPERTY & FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

HEALTH & WELFARE

Act on your behalf

Deal with bank accounts

Sign paperwork related to equity release

Deal with utility bills

Deal with solicitors

Discuss medical issues with your doctors

Make decisions about your healthcare

Deal with social services

DIffERENT TyPES Of LPA

Based on our understanding of laws in England and Wales.

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WHy CHOOSE KEy RETIREmENT?

CONVENIENTWe’ll arrange everything over the phone and

by post for your convenience

DEDICATED HELP A dedicated specialist will handle your needs from start to fi nish, providing ongoing support, as little or as often as you need it

SPECIAL OFFERSWe regularly have special off ers

to save you money

EXPERTISEOur specialists provide expert advice and guidance

STRAIGHT FORWARDWe’ll explain everything in plain English

A FULLY QUALIFIED SERVICEAll of our Will writers are members of

The Society of Will Writers

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You can only set up an LPA while you have the mental capacity to do so.

If you don’t have an LPA in place, relatives can’t just access your cash if you lose mental capacity, not even to pay for your care or mortgage. Without an LPA, the only way to take charge of your fi nances is via the

Court of Protection. This can be expensive and time consuming.

By arranging these important documents today, you will not only be protecting your own future, but your family’s as well.

THE ImPORTANCE Of AN LPA

It’s very important you choose the right people to make decisions on your behalf. The legal term for these people is ‘Attorney’.

They will need to agree that they are happy to take on this responsibility before you go ahead and set them up.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PEOPLE

yOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Once your LPA has been produced and once you, your certificate provider and your attorneys have signed it, you will then need to send it to the Office of the Public Guardian for registration. The LPA cannot be used until it has been registered and this usually takes between 6 and 10 weeks.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

CAN I COPy my LPA?You can copy your LPA once it is registered but you must sign and date the copies at the bottom of each page and write the following:

“I confi rm that this is a true and complete copy of the corresponding page of the original LPA”.

WHO CAN I CHOOSE TO BE my ATTORNEy?Anyone who is over 18 can be an attorney. In the case of an attorney appointed to a Property and Financial Aff airs LPA only, he or she must not be a bankrupt.

When choosing your attorney or attorneys it is important to choose someone you trust implicitly to look after your aff airs. This might be one or more members of your family or a trusted friend or professional adviser. If you appoint more than one attorney, attorneys can be appointed “jointly” (in which case they must do everything together) or “jointly and severally” (in which case they can act together or individually) in relation to all issues. It is also possible to appoint a replacement attorney to act in place of your fi rst named attorneys, if they become unable to act in the future.

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If you already have a Will in place, you should review it every couple of years in case your circumstances have changed.

ALREADy HAVE A WILL?

It’s important for everyone to have an up-to-date Will in place. Preparing a Will is the only way to ensure your money and possessions go to those you choose.

Without a Will, the law decides who inherits your possessions, property and

money, according to the Laws of Intestacy. Your personal wishes are not necessarily acknowledged since they have not been legally recorded. Your spouse may have to share your wealth and unmarried partners or step-children may not be provided for.

OUR WILL WRITING SERVICE

To ensure the right things go to the right people when you die

To help avoid family arguments at an already diffi cult and distressing time

Your inheritance tax bill can be reduced or even eradicated, leaving more money to pass on

WHy SHOULD I mAKE A WILL?

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Rosemary from Essex worked as a children’s nurse before retiring. She’d been considering arranging a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for some time and fi nally got around to getting things in order.

“I already had a Will in place, but wanted to make sure I appointed someone trustworthy to take care of my welfare and fi nancial decisions should I become incapable of making them for myself”.

“I saw Key advertised in the Radio Times and gave them a call as I knew it was a good time to get things in order”.

“The process was very straightforward. When I rang up, the gentleman was very pleasant and helpful so I didn’t even consider going anywhere else”.

“The clarity was great, I felt completely informed throughout the process.”

“I’m not especially close to my family so I nominated my godchild who is a ward

sister and her husband, a lawyer. I felt this was the right decision to make”.

“I would defi nitely recommend estate planning to others, especially people living on their own. It has been in the back of my mind for a while but fi nally I now have a peace of mind knowing everything is in place”.

REAL LIfE

“I NOW HAVE A PEACE Of mIND”

5 REASONS yOU SHOULD mAKE OR REVISIT yOUR WILL

If you pass away without a valid Will the government will decide who inherits your possessions, property and money according to the laws of intestacy.

When you marry or re-marry, your previous Will is automatically revoked. It is important to make sure that your Will accurately refl ects your wishes and protects your loved ones accordingly.

When a divorce takes place, it doesn’t automatically revoke a Will. If your wishes have changed, you must update your Will.

New additions to your family? It’s an exciting time, but it also means that you should look at reviewing your Will to make sure the wishes it expresses are still valid.

If a loved one dies, you should look at reviewing your Will as the loss may have an impact on who benefi ts from your estate.

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To fi nd out more about our estate planning service or to arrange these important documents today, call our specialists on

0808 208 5411Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 7.30pm, Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm and Saturday 9.00am to 1.00pm

OR VISITRADIOTIMES.COM/WILLS