Past research has shown that the cost of death is soaring, with funerals becoming more expensive than ever before.

A recent article from the Telegraph revealed how a personal representative was left with a staggering Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill of £341,278 when he was administering a £1.2 million estate. Mr Harris misguidedly distributed the assets to the beneficiaries before all of the Inheritance Tax had been paid. He did this with the understanding that one beneficiary (who received the majority of the estate) would pay any Inheritance Tax that was still owed. However, this did not happen as the beneficiary left the country without paying, leaving Mr Harris to foot the bill.

Wedding bells will ring for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in a matter of weeks as the royal wedding is due to take place on the 19th of May 2018 at Windsor Castle. The marriage of Prince Henry of Wales and American actress, Meghan Markle, highlights a few important key areas that you should pay attention to, including the impact of marriage on Wills, how the change in family structures is impacting inheritance and the importance of planning ahead.

The legal battle over Prince’s estate continues almost two years after the death of the iconic musician. Now, three of his heirs have filed a petition to review the billing practices of the law firm that works for Comerica Bank and Trust, Fredrikson & Byron. They were appointed to handle the administration of Prince’s estate in 2017 and are said to be draining the late musician's bank account, leaving little to the beneficiaries.

In a recent court case, only awarding damages to a married partner was ruled to be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

A record number of inheritance disputes are reaching the High Court despite rising court costs and the risk involved with losing a case. The number of cases brought to the High Court under the Inheritance Act in 2005 was 15, compared to 116 cases in 2015. But this is only the tip of the iceberg when we consider the number of cases that would have been settled out of court or in County Court.

Last week, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) published two pieces of research supporting the movement to encourage lawyers to be more transparent with regards to their pricing. One research paper is named ‘Price transparency in the legal services market’ which was conducted from a firm perspective with 1,146 legal firms surveyed. The other is ‘Price transparency in the conveyancing market’ from a consumer perspective with 4,001 members of the public and 1,001 recent house buyers.

Planning for the future means looking after your loved ones after you’ve gone and ensuring they get the full benefit of your legacy. The UK’s older generation has seen their wealth grow by 45%* in the last decade, resulting in more money being passed on as inheritance to the younger generation than ever before. However, this increased wealth means executors are left dealing with complex financial circumstances and legal paperwork. This could see a large chunk of your estate going on professional fees, leaving less money for your loved ones. But it doesn’t have to be this way explains Tom Curran, Chief Executive Officer of Kings Court Trust.

More than 12 months after the death of the iconic musician Prince, his sister and five half-siblings have been declared his legal heirs by a District Judge in Minnesota.