No one likes to think about getting old or dying, however, not thinking about the problems of age and death (and making arrangements where appropriate) is not what any caring person would do to those they love.

Here at Batchelors, we have helped hundreds of families make sure that their family wealth is preserved to the maximum extent possible and that their assets are passed on as they wished them to be.

If you don't make a will, your estate may not go go to those you think it should. If you have assets over £325,000 (2010/2011 rates) - homeowners take note - your estate will pay Inheritance Tax, which is often avoidable by taking straightforward legal advice. It isn't pennies either - an estate worth £600,000 will pay £110,00 in Inheritance Tax.

Worse still, if you become infirm and need to be looked after by the State, your estate can be virtually wiped out unless you make appropriate financial arrangements in advance.

It may not be pleasant to think about, but ignoring the problems won't make them go away, it will just make them worse and generally the earlier the issues are dealt with, the better.

Don't put it off. Making a will is not expensive. And, while setting up a power of attorney may be more expensive now due to recent changes to the process, it is a lot cheaper and less stressful to take care of your arrangements now, than the sometimes unavoidable alternative route through the court of protection. Call our experts now. You'll be glad you did.