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Gold hit a six-year high as nervous investors looked for alternatives to stock markets. The IMF cut global growth forecasts amid continuing trade tensions. In any normal month these would have been a perfectly normal introduction, but July was not a normal...
As we venture further into this new digital age, the security of your personal data grows more and more important. That’s why, for this article, we’ve decided to delve into the world of online security. Below you’ll find a series of...
It’s fair to assume that the bigger the risk the greater the reward. Though you could end up with nothing at all, or could even owe money. That’s why it’s worth looking into the different high risk products and what exactly makes them so...
Protecting and growing wealth is often one of the main objectives clients have. There are many investment opportunities out there that are described as ‘safe,’ but many individuals feel that cash is the safest option for them. Keeping your money...
The issue of whether a relative or family member is entitled to Care Home Funding seems to be an eternal issue as it hits the headlines again today. The general feeling is that people don’t know enough about NHS funding and whether they are entitled...
It was a good day at the office, or should that be in court recently when one of our team reunited a man with a long lost family pet. Crowd-funding paid the legal costs and we were overjoyed to see our client, Richard Howard, back with his border collie...
Whilst we have only had intermittent hot days this year, this week looks as if it’s going to be a scorcher! As our weather seems to change on a daily basis many will welcome this mini heat wave with open arms. It’s important to remember the...
Pearson have strengthened their Family team this summer with the appointment of solicitor Emma Kendall. A solicitor with 10 years’ experience Emma will be specialising in divorce and all aspects of matrimonial law with a Resolution friendly approach...
More and more employees now consider bringing a claim against their employer, the latest statistics from workplace experts ACAS reveal. The removal of tribunal fees has continued to show a high demand for conciliation services and an overall 40% increase...
Looking after our clients' needs is central to what we do and to keep on doing it well we need your help. It’s why we look after second and third generations and why by far the bulk of new clients come to us through recommendations, but we...
Post termination restrictive covenants are sometimes included in employment contracts in order to prevent employees from competing with their employer upon their departure from the business. They can be used to restrain employees from competing...
Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers are delighted to announce that Family & Care Solicitor Rebecca Wolfenden has become accredited by the Law Society as a member of the Children Law Panel. The Children Law Accreditation Scheme covers all types...
Making tax simple is part of a proposed review of Inheritance Tax – something which affects many of our clients. Sarah Finnigan unpicks the issues: Inheritance Tax is one of the most unpopular taxes of all time and something which affects many of...
Introduction Many of you will know the old stock market adage: ‘Sell in May and go away, and come on back on St. Leger’s Day.’ The theory was that with everyone out of London for the summer season there was little business to be...
Over a year and a half ago, a digital revolution introduced a new way for people to handle their money: open banking. All of a sudden at the touch of a button, you could compare household bills, control direct debts and track payments across each of your...
Savers are set to deposit up to £4bn into ISAs in the week leading up to the new tax year, according to the Yorkshire Building Society. Their figures revealed that £4.3bn was deposited into ISAs in the final week of the 2017/18 financial year,...
Once you reach 55, a whole spread of opportunities will open themselves up to you. One such bonus is the fact that you can finally access that hard-saved pension fund. Up to 25% of your savings can be taken tax-free, with the remaining 75% being subject to...
Gender Equality in the workplace - a topic that has hit the news headlines today and something which employers need to be aware of. The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Women and Equalities Minister will today be setting out her vision...
The thought of moving home is an exciting prospect - spring and summer are times for making changes, it’s when houses go on the market with flowers in the garden and a range of bank holidays and long weekends to unpack. Similarly winter, in particular...
Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers have this week reported continued growth in the £4.1 million business and on top of that have secured the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark, Lexcel for the 17th consecutive year. Only 10% of UK...
For a Will to be valid, the person making the will (the Testator) must have ‘knowledge and approval’ of the contents of the Will. This requires that the Testator has understood what was in the Will when it was signed and also understood what...
Due Diligence (Part 2) What you need to do In the second part of this article we will be covering the scope of the investigation The scope of the investigation will need to cover various areas relating to the business and its affairs, for example: ...
Due Diligence (Part 1) What is Due Diligence? A due diligence review is an independent investigation of the target business by the buyer and its advisers. In English law, the principle of “caveat emptor” or “buyer beware”...
Extra hours worked over and above normal shifts on a regular basis could be now calculated as part of holiday pay – court rules The case of when to add extra hours worked to holiday pay formed part of a legal ruling recently. The Court of Appeal...
The idea of retiring in your 50s or even your 40s sounds like a pipe-dream to most, what with the increased cost of living, inflation and other economic factors slowly eating away at your predicted earnings. This hasn’t stopped the rise of the FIRE...
Dubbed a ‘slow, lethal killer’ by many financial advisers, pension fund charges can potentially limit your overall pension pot without you even noticing. All pension plans comes with charges, but the impact they have on your pension savings...
Following an in depth study conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NCSR) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), it has been discovered that only one in four people making financial gifts are aware of the risks of inheritance tax. Further...
Introduction May was a relatively quiet month, virtually nothing of any importance happened at all. Well, apart from the European elections, Theresa May’s decision to stand down and the re-escalation of the US/China trade war. Not content with that,...
Today’s business leaders and employers need to consider gender equality as more than just women's rights. Gender discrimination affects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. As an employer it is important to learn how to recognise,...
In January this year the Government introduced a new IT based online system for granting Probate, but this has now stalled and some clients have been waiting up to 3 months for the application to go through. Probate — the legal authority to take...
Inheritance Act claims ; can you claim if the time limit has passed? The short answer is yes; at the Courts discretion. The six month limitation on Inheritance Act claims has been subject of debate in many cases. Recently in the case of Mrs Shantabi...
Is it unfair to dismiss an employee for proselytising? Not if the proselytising is improper, held the Court of Appeal in Kuteh v Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. Religious beliefs and whether to share these with patients was at the forefront of this...
The recent case of Gaskin v Chorus Law Ltd & Anor provides guidance for beneficiaries. This is a common problem experienced by beneficiaries Eileen Gaskin died, intestate , in 2012 and a year later her daughter Marquita Murphy instructed Chorus Law to...
Introduction First the good news. None of the leading world stock markets on which we report in this Bulletin fell in April. With just one exception – China – all the markets made gains, with the German DAX index leading the way. Generally...
Equity release is no longer the niche lending area it once was. More and more homeowners over 55 are choosing to release cash tied up in their homes and there are few signs of this trend subsiding. Lending in 2018 increased by 27% compared to the previous...
A study found in 2018 that one in four adults have no savings. Many residents in the UK wish that they had cash to save, however high monthly outgoings and debt clearance seem to take priority. Saving for the little curveballs that life throws...
As defined contribution pension plans overtake defined benefit (in terms of money paid into schemes) for the first time ever, more and more people are taking an interest in how the two differ and the relationship between them. The Office of National...
We have all been there, traffic is building up behind you, there is not a gap in the opposite flow. Then, the chance appears and you just manage to manoeuvre around the cyclist who has delayed your journey by 10 seconds. Did you know that if you drive too...
As property lawyers we are often asked about freehold, what does it mean, can I buy it, is it worth it, why would I want to? Freehold property can be defined as any estate which is "free from hold" of any entity besides the owner. So the owner...
Lawyers are fighting for changes to the law to safeguard dementia sufferers against financial disadvantage. Those suffering with dementia seem to be a target for crooks who befriend them, coerce them into getting married purely to inherit their money. ...
Non-disclosure agreements have been in the news recently after claims that they have become mere gagging orders for undesirable workplace practices. They were initially designed to prevent staff sharing trade secrets if they changed jobs and form part of...
Introduction We have commented before on the difficulty of ‘hitting a moving target.’ Sometimes in writing this commentary you run the risk of what you write being overtaken by events, and that has never been more true than this month. In the...
Inheritance tax (IHT) can be an incredibly punitive tax on your estate. However, by making the right choices, you can vastly reduce the amount of your estate liable for IHT. While other tax free allowances, such as the ISA allowance, have risen in recent...
With your capital tucked away in savings accounts, investments and mortgages, you’d assume that there is some kind of protection in place. But exactly how safe are your savings in the event of, for example, an authorised financial services firm going...
People simply aren’t saving enough into their pension funds. Despite the relative success of the auto-enrolment rollout and the increase of minimum contributions from 5% to 8%, there’s still a culture of misunderstanding surrounding pensions....
Can verbal promises be expected in Law in an inheritance situation? The answer is: sometimes The recent case of Thompson v Thompson (2018) highlighted the increasing frequency with which families end up in court over undocumented promises. These...
‘No blame’ divorce is now to become law making it easier for couples to split. The Justice Secretary has announced changes to the 50-year-old divorce laws meaning divorcing couples no longer have to blame each other for the breakdown of their...
Get your business working smarter at the start of this financial year by making sure late payment does not affect your bottom line. Late payment of business debts can have an adverse effect on companies and with almost 115,000 businesses waiting up to...
The Courts are generally reluctant to overturn a Will and the threshold to disputing the validity of a Will is particularly high. When a Will is made the most common reasons for contesting a Will are a claim of lack of testamentary capacity or a claim...
It’s a complicated state of affairs when an ex partner dies and pensions are brought into the equation – who benefits from the pension - the ex wife or the new wife? If the deceased has made a new Will after his second marriage and left...
