Ad Valorem Estate Planning Services Limited

14/09/2026

❌ “Once I’ve made a Will, I never need to think about it again.”

Making a Will is an important step – but life rarely stands still.

Relationships change. Families grow. Financial circumstances alter. The people you chose as executors may no longer be the right choice. And what you want to happen to your estate can change too.

There are also some life events that can directly affect your Will. For example, getting married will usually revoke an existing Will unless it was specifically made in contemplation of that marriage.

That doesn’t mean you need to keep making a new Will every few years.

✅ The reality: It’s sensible to review your Will periodically and whenever something significant changes in your life.

That could include getting married or divorced, having children or grandchildren, buying property, changes in your finances, or simply realising that the Will you made years ago may no longer reflect what you want today.

Sometimes a review means changes are needed. Sometimes it simply gives you the reassurance that everything is still right.

Your Will should reflect your life as it is today – not just the day you signed it.

💭 When did you last read your Will – and are you confident it still says exactly what you want it to?

10/09/2026

Have you ever wondered what happens if you die without a Will?

This article explores in more detail what happens when someone dies without a Will — and why we would not advise clients to risk leaving it to chance.

Take a look 👇

https://www.advaloremgroup.uk/what-happens-if-you-die-without-a-will/

It's easy to assume that if you die without making a Will, your family will decide how your estate should be divided, that isn't how it works

09/09/2026

No Inheritance Tax to pay? You might still need to tell HMRC.

It sounds contradictory, but an estate can have no Inheritance Tax to pay and still need a full Inheritance Tax return to be submitted.

HMRC has recently highlighted concerns that some estates are being incorrectly treated as “excepted estates” because of confusion around the allowances and exemptions available.

For anyone acting as an executor, the important thing to remember is that these are two separate questions:

Is there any Inheritance Tax to pay?
and
Does the estate need to be formally reported to HMRC?

The answer to the first can be no, while the answer to the second can still be yes.

I’ll be explaining this in more detail in a forthcoming article, including why HMRC has raised the issue and what executors need to consider.

Have you ever been surprised by just how much responsibility comes with acting as an executor?

07/09/2026

❌ “My family knows what I want, so I don’t really need a Will.”

You may have talked to your family about what you’d like to happen when you die. Perhaps everyone knows who should receive the house, particular possessions or how you’d like things divided.

But knowing what you want and having the legal authority to make it happen are two very different things.

If you die without a valid Will, the rules of intestacy decide who is entitled to inherit. Conversations and promises, however well understood within the family, don’t override those rules.

This can be particularly important for unmarried couples, blended families, or if you want to leave something to friends, stepchildren, charities or others who might not automatically inherit.

✅ The reality: Your family may know exactly what you want, but having a properly prepared Will helps make sure those wishes can actually be followed.

If it matters who receives your estate, don’t leave it to assumption. Put it in writing.

💭 Do you know what would actually happen to your estate if you died without a Will?

31/08/2026

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐞?

The answer surprises many people... 👇

If you die without a valid Will, your estate isn't divided up according to what seems fair or what people assume you would have wanted.

Instead, the 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐲 decide who inherits — and they don't know anything about you, your family or your wishes.

Your children may inherit, but perhaps not in the way you expected.

If you're married or in a civil partnership, your spouse or civil partner has rights under the intestacy rules and may inherit some or all of your estate.

If you're 𝐮𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝, the position can be very different. Your partner could receive 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 under the intestacy rules — even if you've lived together for many years.

And if your children are young, their inheritance will generally be held for them until they reach 18. Without a Will, you don't have the opportunity to choose a different age or put your own arrangements in place to protect their inheritance.

Making a Will puts 𝐲𝐨𝐮 back in control.

You can decide who should inherit, when they should inherit and whether additional protection should be built in. Just as importantly, you can make things clearer for your family at what will already be a difficult time.

✅ 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

Do you know what would actually happen to your estate if you died without a Will?

27/08/2026

“𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨 – 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞?”

A Will doesn't have an expiry date, and just because you made yours ten, fifteen or even twenty years ago doesn't necessarily mean it needs replacing.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬.

You may have married or divorced. Children or grandchildren may have arrived. Someone named in your Will may no longer be around. You may have moved home, accumulated more wealth or simply changed your mind about who you want to benefit.

Relationships change too – and so do tax rules and legislation.

That's why it's sensible to 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, rather than assuming that an old Will automatically needs replacing.

Sometimes a review simply confirms that everything is still exactly as you want it.

If you haven't looked at your Will for a while, dig it out and ask yourself one question:

“𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞?”

If the answer is yes, that's reassuring.

If you're not sure, perhaps it's time to have a conversation.

24/08/2026

“𝐈 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐘𝐞𝐭.”

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐞?

The answer might surprise you... 👇

It’s easy to think that Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) are something to worry about later in life.

But there’s an important catch: 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐏𝐀 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

And losing capacity isn't necessarily something that happens in old age. An accident, stroke or unexpected illness could affect any of us.

Without an LPA in place, even your husband, wife, partner or adult children 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 to manage your finances or make important decisions on your behalf.

Putting LPAs in place doesn't mean giving up control.

It means 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 to act for you if there ever comes a time when you can't make certain decisions yourself.

For you, it's about retaining choice. For your family, it can make an already difficult situation much easier to deal with.

✅ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐏𝐀 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 — 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞.

Perhaps the real question isn't “Do I need an LPA yet?” but “𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟?”

17/08/2026

💭 “𝐈𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬.”

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐞?

The answer might surprise you… 👇

Many people assume Inheritance Tax is only something the very wealthy need to worry about.

But with property values having risen considerably over the years and tax-free allowances remaining frozen, more families can find themselves caught by the rules than they might expect.

A couple who own their family home and have built up savings and investments over the years could potentially leave an estate that exceeds the available Inheritance Tax allowances.

And there is another important change on the horizon.

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟔 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕, 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬.

For some families, this could significantly increase the value of the estate exposed to Inheritance Tax.

Without the right planning, that could mean a significant tax bill for the next generation.

The good news is that there are often perfectly legitimate ways of reducing — and sometimes eliminating — an Inheritance Tax liability.

The key is understanding your position and planning early, rather than leaving it until it’s too late.

✅ 𝐈𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 — 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

Did you think Inheritance Tax only affected millionaires?

04/08/2026

🌴 I've just returned from a fantastic holiday, and it got me thinking about Inheritance Tax...

Not because I spent the whole time talking about tax (I promise I didn't!).

Rather, it struck me that many of my retired clients are in exactly the position where they could be enjoying more holidays, more experiences and more time with their families... but instead they are reluctant to spend the wealth they have worked so hard to accumulate.

Ironically, by not spending it, they often increase the value of the estate that may ultimately be subject to Inheritance Tax.

So here's a different way of looking at it.

Every pound you genuinely spend on yourself is a pound that is no longer part of your taxable estate. If that spending is on creating memories with your partner, children or grandchildren, the benefits are even greater.

☀️ You enjoy the wealth you've spent decades building.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 You create memories that your family will treasure long after you're gone.
📉 As a by-product, you may also reduce the value of your taxable estate.

Of course, I'm not suggesting anyone should spend money purely to save tax. Estate planning should never drive lifestyle decisions.

But equally, I regularly meet people who deny themselves the retirement they dreamed of because they're afraid of seeing their savings reduce.

My view is simple.

You spent your working life building your wealth so that you could enjoy your retirement. Your children and grandchildren would probably rather see you making memories than preserving every last pound for them to inherit.

Good estate planning isn't just about passing wealth on efficiently.

Sometimes it's about giving yourself permission to enjoy it first.

After all, the best legacy isn't always measured in pounds and pence.

Sometimes it's measured in memories.

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