ATFM

There has been much debate since COVID and social distancing about whether wills could be executed remotely. The issue has surrounded the understanding of the word “presence” and could it encompass remote video presence as well as physical presence? When initially put to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) remote presence was rejected in England and Wales “because it was open to abuse”. However the rules have now been relaxed to allow “remote presence” and the main points are as follows: backdated to 31 January 2020 will last until 31 January 2022 or until necessary applies to both wills and codicils MoJ authorised as a last resort for emergencies only where possible arrange for witnesses to be physically present execution should be recorded and that sound and video sufficient to see and hear what is happening signatures must be wet witnesses must see testator sign and not just a pre recorded video While the government retains the power to reduce or extend the deadline for this amendment to

NS&I has announced that, from the December 2020 Premium Bonds prize draw, they are stopping prize payments by warrant (like a cheque) and will be paying prizes straight into customers’ bank accounts instead. It’s quicker, easier and safer than waiting for a cheque to arrive in the post. They will be doing this in phases, and by March 2021 they will no longer send any prize cheques through the post. Premium Bonds customers can also continue to choose to have any prizes reinvested into more Premium Bonds, up to the maximum holding of £50,000. Whether you have your prizes paid to your bank accounts or reinvested, you can choose to be told the good news by email or text message. You will need to tell NS&I your bank details to carry on receiving any prizes. They will hold on to any prizes you win until they have these bank details. Visit their website for details on how you do this.

We have great pleasure in announcing Ben Allen has become a Fellow of the Personal Financial Society (FPFS) and joins co-director Michael Crisp and only c3,342 other fellows worldwide. A Fellow of is the very highest designation awarded by the Personal Finance Society, who are part of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), which is the world’s largest professional body for insurance and financial services in the world and is well known around the world, for the quality and breadth of its exams and qualifications. Fellowship confirms commitment to further self-improvement and is available only to those who demonstrate their ability. It is a major achievement in the financial industry and demonstrates the acquisition of skills and knowledge at the highest of levels.

I thought I would share some interesting facts below from a recent Rightmove Report: Busiest month for ten years as home-buying supersedes summer holidays Rulebook rewritten as post-lockdown mini-boom accelerates and home-moving fills the holiday void Highest number of sales agreed in a month since we started tracking this data over ten years ago, up by 20% on the previous high, and with a record total value of over £37 billion Highest number of properties coming to market in a month since March 2008 as more movers join in Latest weekly sales agreed figure up by 60% compared to the same week in 2019 as buyers ignore the usual summer holiday slowdown Unseasonal record high for new seller asking prices in seven regions, but London drags down the national average to a 0.2% fall due to its own more typical 2.0% seasonal monthly drop. The out-of-city exodus drives prices in places like Devon and Cornwall to new records Record levels of buyer activity lead to processing delays and mean that

Advisers need to be picky when it comes to deciding which clients to take on. New research has revealed 60% of advisers turned away prospective clients in the last year. The reason is not hard to guess: there are far more clients than advisers, and numbers in the profession are only getting smaller. The same research by Octopus Investments states that as many as 15,000 advisers plan to leave the profession in the next 10 years. A poll of 255 financial advisers and 1,000 students, found that six out of 10 advisers had felt forced to reject prospective clients in the last 12 months. The new figures published today raise questions about the profession’s ability to service a rising demand for its services. When asked about their future plans, 29% of the advisers surveyed said they intended to retire by 2025, a figure which rose to 62% by 2030. According to Octopus, this equates to around 15,000 advisers eyeing up an exit from the profession, a slight increase on the 58% of respondents who

You may think that moving into residential care is the only option. It doesn’t have to be that way.  With Home Instead live in care, a CAREGiver can reside at your home day and night to help you to stay independent. You decide how many hours in the 24-hour window you will need practical assistance to be provided and a CAREGiver will be hand-picked for you to become your 24 hour home care support. They will be your companion and reside in your home, day and night, helping you to carry out those tasks you need them to and more importantly, being a familiar face and a source of company. When not working their agreed hours, your CAREGiver will be able to rest, sleep and follow normal activities that they would usually do. Sometimes, your level of care needs may be such that we need to provide a team of CAREGivers who follow a shift pattern of 24-hour live in care. This means that someone is always dutifully attending to your needs. View our brochure to learn more about our live in care opt