The Kings Court Trust Blog

After a near six decades in the spotlight, Aretha Franklin has died at the age of 76, reportedly without leaving a Will. The Queen of Soul passed away at her home in Detroit on Thursday the 16th of August, after an on-going battle with pancreatic cancer.

One question that we frequently get asked is “What happens to a property when someone dies?” and it’s important that you understand the answer if you are administering a deceased person’s estate. This informative blog post takes a look at who is responsible for the property when an owner dies, what happens to the property and what could be involved in dealing with a property after death.

Arranging a funeral is a task that needs to be considered and completed but it can make an already difficult time even more stressful. We appreciate that there is a lot to think about so we have created this blog post to outline what is involved in arranging a funeral and how you can afford the funeral expenses. 

Bitcoin. Ripple. Ethereum. Litecoin. Dogecoin. To some, these words look like gibberish but the reality is, they are all different types of cryptocurrency.

Sir Bruce Forsyth sadly passed away on the 18th August 2017, leaving behind a truly remarkable legacy. Most famous for presenting Strictly Come Dancing, The Generation Game and Play Your Cards Right, Bruce Forsyth was beloved and is now missed by many.

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.

When someone close to you dies, it is easy to get overwhelmed by all of the tasks to be considered and the unfamiliar language associated with them. Firstly, it is important to understand the basics so this blog post aims to answer some of the most common questions associated with handling an individual’s estate after they have died including ‘what is probate?’, ‘what is estate administration’ and ‘what is the difference between probate and estate administration?’.

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.