Almost two thirds of Britons have not made a Will and so risk leaving a financial nightmare for family members when they die.

Hugh Lowther, the eldest son of the seventh Earl of Lonsdale, has been left with no other option but to sell his family's mountain in the English Lake District to cover Inheritance Tax (IHT) liabilities on his late father's estate. The decision of the new earl has brought much attention as the sale of Saddleback Fell is probably the first property divestment of its kind, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) reports.

Probate Registry fees are set to rise from 22 April 2014. All Grant applications received from this date onwards will be subject to the new fees.

A cemetery in south-east London has turned to modern technology to allow anyone unable to attend a funeral ceremony to pay their respects by watching and listening to the service via their smartphone, computer or tablet.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Dying Matters Coalition, set up by the National Council for Palliative Care to break society’s taboo about talking about dying and to encourage more people to make their end of life wishes known.

New figures show that, over the course of a year, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has seen a 23% rise in the amount of money raised by challenging the valuation of estates.

The Centre for Death & Society (CDAS) was established in September 2005 and is based at the University of Bath, just up the hill from the Kings Court Trust (KCT) office. CDAS conducts internationally recognised research on the social aspects of death,dying, and bereavement and has a broad community of members and doctoral candidates.

If a person dies without any known blood relatives and without leaving a Will, it is the Bona Vacantia division of the Treasury Solicitor’s department that is tasked with administering the estate.

Do you own a house? Shares or investments? Do you have a pension plan or a bank account?