Latest News

1-September-2016 A new promising treatment for Alzheimer’s has been shown to combat changes in the brain that are caused by the disease. Scientists have called the treatment a breakthrough that is the best news in dementia research for a quarter of a century. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in Britain with […]

22-August-2016 The average cost of living in a care home has increased by 5.6 percent over the past year, to £30,926 – more than double a pensioner’s typical income. The 5.6 rise represents an increase of £1,536 on the previous year. Pensioners’ average income of £14,456 increased by 1.1 percent or £156 for the same […]

18-August-2016 A report by Lloyds Bank has revealed that the number of homeowners moving house in the first half of 2016 reached a level that was last seen in 2008. The report, which drew on the Group’s own data together with data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Bank of England and the Office […]

17-August-2016 Inheritance tax is payable at 40% on estates worth £325,000 or more – but the family of one of Britain’s wealthiest landowners won’t be paying this charge following his death last Tuesday. The Duke of Westminster collapsed while walking on his Lancashire estate and was flown to hospital where he died, aged 64. He […]

11-August-2016 A report by Zoopla – the property website – found that sellers in the north of England -including Merseyside- were forced to cut the asking-price of their property following the UK’s decision to leave the EU. However, managing partner of a conveyancing solicitors in Southport, Stephen Breen said: “We had fewer instructions in the […]

1-August-2016 Author: Carol Bragg In 2014 millions of people across the globe asked friends and family to pour buckets of iced water over their heads. The reason; to raise money for research into Motor Neurone Disease. The ice bucket challenge went viral and became one of the most successful charity campaigns in history. The craze […]

1-August-2016 Brexit brought sweeping changes to the cabinet including a new chancellor. But will a change in personnel herald any changes to inheritance tax? Former chancellor, George Osborne, kept the inheritance tax threshold at £325,000 – the tax-free amount on a person’s estate before you pay 40% – for the whole of his six year […]

27-July-2016 A new gene test which analyses whether a person is likely to have Alzheimer’s Disease could be made available to people who develop mild memory problems in middle age. By detecting the disease early on doctors would be able to give the patient brain exercises, and drugs should they become available, to slow the […]

26-July-2016 A Cambridgeshire family has successfully changed the inheritance rules of their family trust which conveyed a life interest in their property to future generations. The property Trumpington Hall which is set on a 3,200 acre estate in Cambridgeshire, has been in the Pemberton family for the past 300 years. Under the terms of the […]

Record-breaking receipts from Inheritance Tax (IHT) boost treasury coffers. HMRC collected £5.1bn from Inheritance Tax bills over the last 12 months, records show. This is the first time that inheritance tax bills have broken through the £5bn barrier within a single year. Why are Inheritance Tax bills rising? Once the reserve of the super-rich, Inheritance […]

21-March-2017 A new DNA test could help identify at birth which people are most likely to develop Alzheimer’s later in life. For some babies, the risk that they will develop Alzheimer’s before their 80th birthday is very small. For others, the odds are much greater. Scientists now have a genetic test which determines the likelihood […]

20-March-2017 A Legal Watchdog has warned that hundreds of thousands of people suffering with dementia or learning difficulties are being held in care homes and hospitals unlawfully. The Law Commission has revealed that the system which allows detention of people who cannot make decisions for themselves is failing because of the huge number of applications […]

22-May-2017 HM Revenue and Customs have reported a monthly record of £483 million in inheritance tax revenue for March. In 2016-17 a total of around £4.8 billion was collected in Inheritance Tax – double the amount taken in 2002-2003. So what can a person do to reduce their inheritance tax bill? Gifting allowances Many people […]

21-April-2017 The Government has scrapped controversial plans to raise the cost of probate fees ahead of this June’s general election. Probate fees in England and Wales had been due to rise from £155 (if using a solicitor) or £215 to up to £20,000 for some estate. The Ministry of Justice said, following the surprise news […]

24-February-2017 A US laboratory is developing video games that could help treat a range of health conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. Akili Interactive Labs currently makes two games designed to treat ADHD and depression, both of which are currently undergoing clinical trials. The project was co-founded with PureTech Health which is listed on the London Stock […]