Blog
Guides on estate planning, digital legacy, probate, and the UK's unclaimed-assets problem.
Joint tenants or tenants in common? How to check, and why it matters (England and Wales)
13 September 2026
Most couples never chose how they own their home, the conveyancer did. If it came out as a joint tenancy, your will can't touch your share of it. Here's how to check in ten minutes, and how to change it with a free form.
The residence nil rate band: the extra £175,000 for your home (UK)
13 September 2026
There's no such thing as a £1 million inheritance tax allowance. There are two, and the second only exists if you owned a home and left it to the right people. Here's how the residence nil rate band works, and the £2 million point where it starts vanishing.
How is cryptocurrency taxed when someone dies? IHT and CGT (UK)
8 September 2026
Dying isn't a disposal, so a lifetime of crypto gains falls out of capital gains tax completely. Here's how HMRC really taxes cryptoassets on death: the valuation, the uplift, the 24% executor rate, and a deadline that won't wait.
Farming and inheritance tax: the £2.5m cap from April 2026 (UK)
7 September 2026
For decades a working farm could pass down without a penny of inheritance tax. From 6 April 2026 that stops at £2.5m, and everything above gets half the relief. Here's what actually changed, what didn't, and why the figure you remember is probably wrong.
How long does it take to get a pension paid out after someone dies? (UK)
5 September 2026
A pension usually sits outside the estate, so it can be paid out in weeks while probate is still crawling along. There's a two year clock attached, though, and missing it turns a tax free lump sum into taxable income. Here's the realistic timeline.
Pension expression of wish: the form that decides who gets your pension (UK)
5 September 2026
Your will doesn't decide who gets your pension. A form you probably signed on your first day at a job you've long since left does, and legally it's only a wish. Here's how the nomination really works, and what an out of date one costs.
Do unmarried partners inherit? The common law marriage myth (UK)
4 September 2026
There's no such thing as common law marriage, and an unmarried partner inherits nothing automatically in England and Wales. Here's what the intestacy rules actually do, and the six month deadline for doing something about it.
What happens to a house when the owner dies? (England and Wales)
3 September 2026
Two words on the title deeds decide whether a house passes the moment someone dies or waits months for probate. Here's what actually happens to a home in England and Wales, and the £7 check that tells you which one you're facing.
Lost shares and unclaimed dividends: how to track them down (UK)
2 September 2026
Your shares are safe however long you leave them. Your unclaimed dividends aren't: under the standard company articles, twelve years and they go back to the company. Here's how to trace an old holding for free, before that happens.
Unclaimed Child Trust Funds: how to find and claim yours (UK, 2026)
2 September 2026
HMRC's own figures show 758,000 matured Child Trust Funds nobody has claimed, roughly £1.5 billion belonging to people in their twenties. Here's how to find yours for free, and how to make sure it never goes missing again.
How to find a lost life insurance policy (yours or a relative's) (UK)
1 September 2026
Insurers aren't hiding the money, they just don't know where you live. The old paid Unclaimed Assets Register shut in 2022, and what replaced it is free. Here's how to trace a lost policy, and the two places almost nobody thinks to look.
Unclaimed Premium Bonds: how to check and claim, decades later (UK)
1 September 2026
A Premium Bonds prize never expires. NS&I holds it until you claim it, with no time limit, and Bonds you never cashed in are still going into every monthly draw. Here's how to find your holder's number and check decades of prizes.
My Lost Account: how the free bank account tracing service works
31 August 2026
Your bank hasn't spent your forgotten savings, it just can't find you. My Lost Account searches more than seventy banks, building societies and NS&I for free, and the money stays yours in perpetuity. Here's how to work it properly.
How to trace a lost pension in the UK, step by step
31 August 2026
The government service everyone recommends will not tell you whether you have a pension, or what it is worth. Here is what it actually does, how to build the employer list it needs first, and how to make sure the pot never goes missing again.
The 67% pension tax: how April 2027 stacks two taxes on one pot (UK)
30 August 2026
From 6 April 2027 the same pension pot can be hit by inheritance tax and then income tax. That isn't 85%, it's up to 67%, and 68.8% in Scotland. Here's the arithmetic band by band, and who escapes it entirely.
How to value an estate for probate, account by account (UK)
30 August 2026
The figure that goes on the probate forms isn't today's value, and it isn't what you'd get at a quick sale. It's what each asset would have fetched on the open market the day the person died. Here's how to work it out, account by account.
How long does probate take in 2026, and what slows it down (UK)
30 August 2026
The courts now issue most grants of probate in about five weeks, yet estates still routinely take a year to finish. Here's what the official timings actually measure, and the six things that quietly add the months.
Can you name a beneficiary on a UK bank account?
29 August 2026
UK banks don't have a beneficiary box, and they can't give you one: a sole account belongs to your estate the day you die. Here's what actually works instead, from joint accounts and friendly society nominations to the pension form that really does pay direct.
Can you withdraw money from a deceased person's bank account? (UK)
29 August 2026
Being next of kin, being the executor, even holding a power of attorney: none of them let you take money out of a dead person's account. Here's who can actually reach it, the exception that pays for the funeral, and what happens if cash goes anyway.
What happens to direct debits and household bills when someone dies (UK)
28 August 2026
The moment a sole account freezes, every direct debit out of it stops: insurance, energy, mortgage, subscriptions. Some of those failures are free money saved; one of them can leave a house uninsured. Here's what stops, what the estate still owes, and the order to deal with it in.
How to find and claim a deceased person’s bank accounts (UK)
28 August 2026
When someone dies without leaving a list, their accounts don't announce themselves. Here's how executors actually trace them: My Lost Account for banks and savings, the Pension Tracing Service, what paperwork unlocks the money, and why even dormant accounts swept into the national scheme can always be claimed back.
Is a bank account frozen when someone dies? How long, and what still gets paid (UK)
28 August 2026
Sole accounts are frozen the moment the bank learns of a death, and stay frozen until probate or a small-estate release. But a frozen account will still pay two things directly: the funeral bill and inheritance tax. Here's the freeze explained, how long it lasts, and how to get money out for the things that can't wait.
What happens to a joint bank account when someone dies (UK)
28 August 2026
A joint account doesn't get frozen when one holder dies: it passes to the survivor automatically, usually the same week. But half the balance may still count for inheritance tax, and a "convenience" joint account with an elderly parent can be treated very differently. Here's how it actually works.
Pensions and inheritance tax: what changes in April 2027 (UK)
28 August 2026
Pensions have been the one pot inheritance tax couldn't touch. From 6 April 2027 most unused pension money counts as part of your estate, and it's your executor who pays. Here's what changes, and the 50% hold that decides when beneficiaries see anything.
Do you pay tax on savings interest after someone dies? (UK, 2026)
27 August 2026
An estate gets no personal allowance and no savings allowance, so interest that was tax free while its owner was alive is taxed at 20% the day after they die. Here is the £500 rule that decides whether you report it at all.
Can you disinherit your children in Scotland? Legal rights explained (UK)
26 August 2026
In England you can write a child out of your will. In Scotland you simply can't: legal rights sit above whatever the will says. Here's what your children are actually entitled to, and the one large asset the claim can't touch.
Can you use a dead person's bank card? What happens if you do (UK)
26 August 2026
A dead person's bank card carries on working until someone tells the bank, which is exactly why families drift into using it. Here's why that's a Fraud Act problem rather than a technicality, and what a bank will pay out before probate anyway.
Inheritance tax changed in April 2026: the £2.5m relief cap explained (UK)
25 August 2026
Everyone remembers the £1 million cap from the 2024 Budget. It was raised to £2.5 million before it ever took effect, and it's transferable between spouses. Here's what actually changed on 6 April 2026, and what's still coming.
Your crypto is now legally property: the Digital Assets Act 2025 (UK)
22 August 2026
English law spent years unable to decide whether a crypto-token was property at all. Since 2 December 2025 it can be, which changes how it's inherited, taxed and accounted for. Here's what the Act does, and the one problem it can't fix.
What to sort out with your bank accounts before you die (UK)
21 August 2026
Tell Us Once updates the DVLA, HMRC and your council when you register a death. It tells your bank nothing at all. Here's the short list worth sorting now, including the probate threshold that changes bank by bank.
What happens to a franchise when the franchisee dies? (UK)
18 August 2026
A franchise isn't simply inherited: the agreement usually gives the family a short window to appoint a manager and find an approved buyer. Here's what those clauses typically say, and why the personal guarantee outlives the franchisee.
Should you name a digital executor for your online accounts? (UK)
18 August 2026
A digital executor has no legal status in England and Wales, so naming one in your will achieves less than people think. Here's what does carry legal weight, and the simpler arrangement that works better.
What happens to car finance and PCP agreements when the borrower dies? (UK)
18 August 2026
On a PCP or hire purchase deal the car isn't the family's to sell, because it was never the deceased's to own. Here's who the debt falls to, and the half-paid rule that lets an estate hand the keys back and walk away.
How inheritance tax gets paid before probate is even granted (UK)
18 August 2026
You need probate to get at the money, and you need to pay the tax to get probate. Here's how families break that circle, including the scheme that lets a bank pay HMRC directly from a frozen account.
Unpaid wages, bonuses and death in service: what an employer owes (UK)
18 August 2026
Death in service pay-outs are often the largest sum a family receives, and they usually arrive without waiting for probate. Here's what an employer still owes the estate, and the one form that decides who gets the lump sum.
Can an executor also be a beneficiary? (UK)
18 August 2026
It's normal, legal and how most wills are written. The conflict only bites in three specific situations. Here's what they are, plus the witnessing rule that can wipe out an inheritance completely.
What happens to a Help to Buy ISA or Lifetime ISA when the holder dies? (UK)
18 August 2026
The 25% withdrawal charge on a Lifetime ISA doesn't apply on death, but the Help to Buy bonus disappears entirely. Here's what each one is worth to an estate, and the spouse allowance most families never claim.
Why executors are told to wait, and what that actually means (UK)
18 August 2026
The executor's year isn't a rule about being slow, it's a shield. Here's what an executor is protecting themselves from by waiting, the two deadlines that don't wait at all, and why paying a beneficiary early can cost them personally.
What happens to Patreon, Substack and OnlyFans income when the creator dies? (UK)
18 August 2026
The account and the work are two different assets, and only one of them can be inherited. Here's why platform contracts die with the creator while the copyright runs for another 70 years, and what an executor can realistically recover.
Trusts in plain English: what a trust does that a will can't (UK)
18 August 2026
A will hands things over and then you've no say at all. A trust keeps a hand on the wheel afterwards, which is the whole point and the whole cost. Here's what each type is for, and the tax nobody mentions upfront.
What happens to your pet when you die, and how to actually plan for it (UK)
18 August 2026
In law your dog is furniture: a possession that passes under your will like a sofa. Here's why you can't leave money to a pet, the free charity schemes that will rehome one, and the first 48 hours nobody plans for.
Are digital wills legally valid in the UK yet?
18 August 2026
You can write your will online, but you still can't sign it online. Here's what the Wills Act actually demands, what happened to the Covid video-witnessing rules, and what the Law Commission has recommended changing.
What happens to store cards, catalogue accounts and Klarna balances when you die? (UK)
18 August 2026
Small credit balances are the ones families panic about, and the ones they're least likely to actually owe. Here's who really pays, the order debts come out of an estate, and the notice that protects an executor from a bill nobody saw coming.
How to find out if someone left a will you don't know about (UK)
18 August 2026
There's no national register that automatically catches every will, so a valid one can sit in a filing cabinet while the family divides the estate the wrong way. Here's the order to search in, and the £3 form that buys you time.
Lasting power of attorney vs a will: what each one actually covers (UK)
18 August 2026
An LPA stops working the moment you die. A will does nothing until you do. Here's the gap between them, what it costs a family to fall into it, and why an attorney can never touch your will.
What happens to your NS&I savings when you die? (UK)
18 August 2026
Premium Bonds stay in the draw for a year after you die, but the rest of the NS&I range works differently. Here's how the bereavement claim works, when your family can skip probate entirely, and the free service that finds accounts nobody remembered.
Second marriages and blended families: why a normal will often gets it wrong (UK)
18 August 2026
Getting married cancels the will you already made, and leaving everything to your new spouse can quietly disinherit your own children. Here's how sideways disinheritance happens, and the three fixes that stop it.
What happens to a leasehold flat when the owner dies? (UK)
18 August 2026
A lease keeps running after the owner dies, and so do the service charges. Here's what the freeholder can demand from the estate, and the two-year lease extension right that families lose simply by not knowing it exists.
What happens to airline miles, hotel points and loyalty schemes when you die? (UK)
18 August 2026
Loyalty points feel like money, but almost every scheme's terms say they aren't your property at all. Here's which ones will hand a balance over to your family, which quietly close the account, and why the order you make the phone calls matters.
What happens to a rented home when the tenant dies? (UK)
18 August 2026
A tenancy does not end when the tenant does: it passes to the estate and the rent keeps falling due. Here's who has a legal right to stay, how an executor actually brings the agreement to an end, and the deadline landlords rely on.
What happens to a stocks and shares account when you die? Transfers, sales and CGT (UK)
18 August 2026
Shares don't freeze the way a bank account does, but they don't transfer themselves either. Here's how an executor actually deals with an investment portfolio, and the capital gains tax rule that catches families out.
Letter of wishes: what it is, and why it isn't the same as your will (UK)
18 August 2026
A will decides who gets what, legally. A letter of wishes explains why, and covers everything a will was never designed to hold, from who gets grandma's ring to what music you want played.
Can you claim a tax rebate after someone dies? Income tax and the P800 explained (UK)
18 August 2026
HMRC doesn't automatically know someone has died, and it doesn't automatically owe or take nothing either. A final tax return often reveals a rebate the family never expected, or a bill they didn't know was coming.
Bona vacantia: what happens when someone dies with no will and no traceable family (UK)
18 August 2026
When nobody can be found to inherit an estate, it doesn't just sit there, it goes to the Crown. Bona vacantia affects more estates than most people expect, and tracing services exist specifically to unwind it.
The subscriptions nobody remembers to cancel after a death (UK)
18 August 2026
Streaming services, gym memberships, apps, cloud storage: none of them know their customer has died, and most keep quietly charging the card until someone thinks to stop them. Here's the checklist executors actually need.
What happens to a mortgage when the borrower dies? (UK)
18 August 2026
A mortgage doesn't get wiped out by death, and it doesn't automatically transfer either. What happens next depends on who else is named on it, whether there's life insurance, and what the property is actually worth.
Who inherits the jewellery, furniture and family heirlooms? Personal possessions after death (UK)
18 August 2026
Money and property get all the attention in a will, but it's usually the jewellery, the furniture and the things with no resale value that cause the real arguments. Here's how personal possessions are actually inherited.
What happens to a sole trader or limited company when the owner dies (UK)
18 August 2026
A sole trader's business legally ends the moment they do. A limited company doesn't, but someone still has to be legally entitled to run it. The difference catches more families out than it should.
What happens to a car when someone dies? Selling, transferring and insuring it (UK)
18 August 2026
A car doesn't stop needing insurance, tax or a decision the moment its owner dies. Here's who can legally drive it, sell it or keep it, and the paperwork the DVLA actually requires.
What happens to royalties when a creator dies? Books, music and patents (UK)
17 August 2026
Royalties don't stop when the creator does, they can keep paying out for decades. Here's who actually receives them, how they pass through an estate, and why so many go unclaimed.
GDPR and digital legacy: does EU data protection law cover you after you die?
2 August 2026
GDPR is the strongest data protection law most people have heard of, and by default it stops applying the moment you die. What that means for your accounts, and which countries have quietly filled the gap, surprises most families.
Retiring or owning property in the EU: what happens to your estate if you die abroad
2 August 2026
Hundreds of thousands of Britons and Irish own property or have retired across the EU. Dying there triggers a different country's inheritance law, potentially different tax, and an executor managing two systems at once, often for the first time.
Inheritance tax across Europe: which countries tax it, and how much
2 August 2026
Some EU countries barely tax inheritance between close family. Others take a substantial share even from a spouse. There is no single "European" rate, and the difference can matter enormously for a cross-border estate.
Forced heirship in Europe: why you can't always leave everything to whoever you want
2 August 2026
In the UK, US, and Ireland, you can leave your estate to almost anyone. Across much of continental Europe, the law reserves a fixed share for your children no matter what your will says. Here's how forced heirship actually works.
The EU Succession Regulation: how to choose which country's inheritance law applies to your estate
2 August 2026
If you live in one EU country but hold citizenship, property, or family ties in another, an EU regulation lets you choose in advance which country's inheritance law governs your estate. Most people who need it have never heard of it.
Unclaimed property in the US: how to find money you didn't know you had
2 August 2026
The US holds tens of billions of dollars in unclaimed property, old bank accounts, forgotten stock, uncashed checks, and there's no single national database, each state runs its own. Here's how the system actually works.
TOD and POD accounts: the simplest way to avoid probate in the US
2 August 2026
Naming a beneficiary directly on a bank or brokerage account can move an entire account outside of probate for free, in minutes. Here's how TOD and POD designations actually work, and the mistakes that quietly undo them.
RUFADAA and digital assets: what happens to your online accounts when you die (US)
2 August 2026
Most US states have a specific law governing who can access your online accounts after you die, RUFADAA, and it works nothing like people assume. Here's the actual order of priority, and why it rarely helps without planning ahead.
Probate in the US: how it actually works, state by state
2 August 2026
There's no such thing as "US probate", there are fifty different state systems, and the gap between the fastest and slowest can be a matter of months. Here's what's actually consistent, and what isn't.
What happens to a bank account when someone dies (US guide)
2 August 2026
Unlike a joint UK account, a US bank account usually needs either a named beneficiary or a trip through probate, and which one applies changes everything about how fast a family gets access.
What happens to Premium Bonds, ISAs and other savings when you die (UK)
1 August 2026
Premium Bonds keep winning after death. ISAs lose their tax-free status on the spot. Different savings products follow very different rules when someone dies, and almost none of them are obvious.
The estate planning checklist: 10 things to organise before you need to
1 August 2026
Estate planning isn't one big task, it's ten small ones, most of which take under an hour each. Here's the complete UK checklist, in the order that actually matters.
Password manager or digital inheritance vault: what's the difference?
1 August 2026
Both promise to protect your family after you're gone, and they solve genuinely different problems. Confusing the two is how families end up with either no access at all, or far more access than was ever intended.
What happens to your online shop, blog or side hustle when you die
1 August 2026
An Etsy shop, a Substack, a small SaaS product, a domain portfolio: none of it is covered by a standard will template, and most of it quietly lapses within weeks of the last login. Here's what's actually at stake.
What happens to your Facebook, Instagram and other accounts when you die
1 August 2026
Social platforms each handle death differently: memorialisation, deletion, a "legacy contact", and almost none of it happens automatically. Here's what actually happens to your accounts, and what your family has to do to make it happen.
How much does it cost to sort out someone's estate? (UK, 2026)
1 August 2026
Probate fees are the smallest line item. The real cost of administering a UK estate runs from a few hundred pounds to five figures, and the biggest driver isn't the estate's size, it's how organised it was left.
How long does it take to access a deceased person's bank account? (UK)
1 August 2026
From days to over a year, the timeline for accessing a deceased person's bank account depends almost entirely on the balance, the bank, and whether probate is required. Here's what actually determines the wait.
How life insurance payouts actually work after a death (UK)
1 August 2026
Life insurance is meant to be the fast, simple payout, and usually it is, but only if the right person knows the policy exists. Here's how claims actually work, and why so many go unclaimed.
Joint bank accounts and death: what actually happens (UK)
1 August 2026
A joint account doesn't freeze and it doesn't go through probate, it passes straight to the surviving holder. That single rule is why joint accounts are both the simplest asset to inherit and the easiest one to get wrong.
What happens if you die without a will? Intestacy rules explained (UK)
1 August 2026
Roughly six in ten UK adults have no will. Die without one and the intestacy rules, not your wishes, decide who inherits, and the results surprise almost everyone who assumes "it all goes to my partner."
What happens to your pension when you die? (UK, 2026)
30 July 2026
Pensions sit outside your will, they're passed on by scheme trustees, guided by a form most people last touched a decade ago. Who gets what, the tax rules, and why billions in pensions are simply never claimed.
Probate, in plain English: what executors actually do, step by step
30 July 2026
Probate is not a mystery, it's a sequence. What the grant actually is, when you need one, what it costs, how long it takes in 2026, and the step-by-step order that keeps an executor out of trouble.
How to choose an executor: and what you're actually asking them to do
30 July 2026
Being an executor is a real job: months of paperwork, legal duties, and personal liability. Here's what the role involves in England and Wales, who to pick, and how to make their job survivable.
Crypto inheritance: how Bitcoin actually gets lost when someone dies
30 July 2026
An estimated fifth of all Bitcoin is lost forever, much of it to death. Self-custody crypto doesn't go through probate cleanup, if the keys die with the owner, the coins are gone. Here's how to stop that.
Where should you store your will? Options compared (England & Wales)
30 July 2026
A will that can't be found is legally close to a will that doesn't exist. Solicitor storage, the Probate Service, the National Will Register, or a drawer at home, the real comparison, and what to store alongside it.
Digital legacy planning: leave your family a map, not your passwords
30 July 2026
Sharing passwords for after your death feels helpful and is actually a trap, banks prohibit it and it can put your executor on the wrong side of the law. Here's the safe way to make sure nothing digital is lost.
The UK's £50bn unclaimed assets problem: how families lose track
30 July 2026
Billions in UK bank accounts, pensions, insurance policies and shares are never claimed, not because they're hidden, but because nobody knew they existed. Here's how it happens and how to stop it happening to your family.
What happens to someone's bank accounts when they die? (UK guide)
30 July 2026
What actually happens to UK bank accounts, savings and pensions after a death, who to tell, what gets frozen, what executors can and cannot do, and why so much money is simply never found.