It has always been the case that it is a good idea to prepare a Will and get your testamentary wishes written down and made legally binding and arguably never has a truer word been spoken given our modern lifestyles are making the task of locating potential beneficiaries increasingly difficult for Administrators of intestate estates.

There are many positives to take from the fact that we are living longer than ever before, as is indicative of a better and healthier standard of living and means we get to spend more time with our loved ones. There are, however, negative consequences such as the increased likelihood of developing a degenerative disease and the fact that, as a country, we sometimes struggle to cope with the increased demand for elderly care.

Ramsdens Solicitors are pleased to be supporting Brake Charity throughout Road Safety Awareness Week In 2017 there were a total of 170,993 people injured in road traffic accidents across the UK. Among those were 24,831 serious injuries and 1,793 deaths. These figures demonstrate how vulnerable we are, whenever we are on the road. It is alarming to think that nearly 1,800 people lost their lives when taking to the road last year, which signifies the importance of road safety awareness.

As important as it is to consider preparing documents, such as Lasting Powers of Attorney, to ensure that your finances and health decisions are kept in order should you no longer be able to look after your own affairs, it is equally important to ensure that you have the right people in place to do so.

Ramsdens Burn & Co, at their York and Easingwold offices, has been recogised by Cancer Research UK after facilitating over £1.79 million worth of gifts from people choosing to leave a legacy to the charity in their will.

September marks the start of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month https://www.worldalzmonth.org/ with World Alzheimer's Day taking place on 21 September 2018.

An article out in yesterday’s Daily Mail Online has indicated that up to 1.5 million people have been sold “rip-off wills” by our high street banks. You may recall that during the 1990’s and early 2000’s a number of banks were offering will writing services as an added extra to their accounts and mortgage deals. Some banks offered free wills provided that you had a certain account with them or offered wills at what was considered a discounted rate compared to those offered by solicitors and will specialists. Although initially confirming your wishes about what would happen to your money and property when you passed away, some of these wills included onerous provisions in the small print that could end up leaving your proposed beneficiaries with a lot less than what you had intended.

The understanding and awareness of Dementia is increasing as more and more people are willing to speak out about their experiences, take action and break down barriers and stigmas. We appreciate that the subjects of capacity, memory, Wills and death can be daunting to talk about, but they are necessary discussions to have. If you are uncertain on how best to talk about these subjects, possibly because you are unsure how you would go about getting your legal affairs in order; or, you just don’t feel you need to; or, something else entirely, then discussing these earlier on in your life is a positive step, as you will be better equipped to deal with life’s rollercoaster.