Ian Gosling

3 Simple Steps to get your Affairs in Order

Now the hangover has passed and we are back into daily routine here are three simple things you should sort out in the New Year to keep your AFFairs In Order (thats the origin of the affio name). 1. Write your Will – it should take between half an hour and an hour to do on affio. Print it, sign it in front of witnesses and put it somewhere safe. Tell someone you trust where your Will is! Wills are much simpler than people realise and it is better to have something and come back lat

Shakespeare kept his Last Will and Testament up to date

A new exhibition at Somerset House in London is shining a light on William Shakespeares life through legal documents and its centrepiece is the bard’s Last Will and Testament. [http://www.bymewilliamshakespeare.org/shakespeares-will] Notoriously Shakespeare left his second best bed to his wife Anne Hathaway – not, it would seem, much of an inheritance for his wife! However her dowry and the right to live in their house in Stratford-upon-Avon during her lifetime left her relatively affluent. W

Budget Update - changes in Inheritance tax for your Will

In his mini-budget on Wednesday George Osborne confirmed that a couple would be able to leave a home worth up to £1million to their children without incurring any inheritance tax. From 2017 a new transferable £175,000 allowance will be introduced for homes being left to children or grandchildren to run alongside the existing £325,000. He said “ the wish to pass something onto your children is a basic, human and natural aspiration” With this in mind then you would think that the majority of peo

Making your Will is an emotional experience

“We must get the Will sorted” is a conversation couples have every few years. It is often prompted by some family event or change in circumstance and may be greeted by one of the parties with an unenthusiastic sigh, after all it all sounds a bit of a chore. What we have found at Affio is that far from being a chore it actually becomes a very positive emotional experience. Think about it like this, you are spending time really thinking about the life you have built and the things you have now th

If you haven't made a Will you are in good company...

If you haven’t made a will, you’re in good company — or should I say bad company, because some of the excuses are up there with “the dog ate my homework”. According to some research done last year, more than half the adult population of the UK doesn’t have a will. Reasons why include: it will bring you bad luck, and everyone knows you are bound to die as soon as you so much as think about making one. Then there’s the “I’m a busy person” routine. You just haven’t got round to it. Anyway, you’re