For most families, drafting a Will feels like the responsible finish line. In truth, it is closer to the starting point of a wider estate plan. A Will directs where your assets go on death; on its own, it does not remove those assets from Inheritance Tax, prevent delays in access, or address the risks that quietly threaten wealth once it has been received.
What a Will does
A Will names beneficiaries and executors, appoints guardians for minor children, and sets out specific bequests. Without one, the strict and rigid Rules of Intestacy apply, your spouse or civil partner will not automatically inherit everything, common-law partners may receive nothing, and even a spouse on a joint account can face lengthy delays before funds can be accessed.
What a Will cannot do
A Will does not, by itself, protect the family home from being assessed for care fees, shield a child's inheritance from a future divorce, or prevent generational Inheritance Tax as wealth passes down the family line. It also does nothing to help if you lose mental capacity during your lifetime.
Where Trusts and LPAs fit
A Trust can hold your home, money, pensions, life assurance, business assets and investments for up to 125 years, keeping them protected while still available to your family. A Lasting Power of Attorney lets people you trust make decisions on your behalf if you can no longer make them yourself, without one, that authority passes to the Court of Protection.
A plan, not a document
Every plan we build for a client combines a properly drafted Will, the appropriate Trusts, and both types of Lasting Power of Attorney. Together, they capture your intentions and defend them across a lifetime. Individually, they leave meaningful gaps.