Later life planning

Start planning now to give you and your family a better future. Our specialist legal and financial advisers cover: pensions and investment advice, equity release, powers of attorney, making a will, care fees planning and gifting money to children.

Later life planning services

At Tees our lawyers and independent financial advisers work together. This gives you a joined-up view of your plans for your future and you can get everything organised in one go.

Our later life planning specialists work across the full range of services:

Lasting Powers of Attorney – choosing someone you trust to act in your best interests to make decisions on your behalf if you’re no longer able to make decisions for yourself – about your health or your money.
Making a Will – or update a current one. This is key to making sure your wishes are carried out after your death. The complexity and quirks of the tax legislation offer many opportunities to save Inheritance Tax through appropriate planning and your Will is an important element of your plans. The question of how to structure your Will is a complex one involving consideration of a range of different factors. Married couples with significant assets should consider the option of using an appropriate Will trust on the first death, due to the tax planning opportunities available.
Court of protection and deputyships – a complex process of legal steps to protect vulnerable people. A deputy makes decisions on a person’s behalf. Many of our solicitors have themselves been appointed professional deputies and understand what it means to be responsible for people who can’t make their own decisions.
Financial and succession planning – inheritance tax planning, business property or agricultural property relief and trust administration, including investment advice. We work with your other professional advisers, such as accountants for a joined up plan.
Pension advice – tax-free lump sums, retiring early and the different types of pensions – personal, stakeholder, SIPP (self-invested personal pensions), workplace, additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) – and pension transfers.
Independent investment advice – advising on your investment strategy to support you and your family in later life.
Equity release – advising you on the right financial product for you to obtain funds from the capital value of property.
Long-term care fees planning – our independent financial advisers are accredited by Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) and understand all aspects of funding care for older people or those with health needs.
Gifting money to children – advice on how to giving regular payments to children and others.

Tees have consistently delivered prompt advice. They demonstrate empathy in difficult situations and help client navigate towards solutions.

Legal 500 UK, 2025

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Frequently asked questions

The answers to many of your questions can be found here, please get in touch for further information.

What happens to my money if I die without a will?

If you die without a will, your money will be distributed under the rules of intestacy. Under intestacy rules, your next of kin can inherit your money and assets according to a strict order of priority.

If you have a spouse or civil partner and children, then your spouse/ civil partner would receive the first £250,000 of your estate and personal chattels. Anything above this amount would be split as to half for the surviving spouse/ civil partner and half equally between your children. If any of your children have predeceased you, then their share may pass to any surviving children of theirs.

If you should pass away without any surviving spouse/civil partner, children or grandchildren then your estate shall pass in accordance with the following order of priority:

Parents
Brothers and sisters (or their children)
Half-brothers and sisters (or their children)
Grandparents
Uncles and aunts (or their children)
Half-uncles and aunts (or their children)

If you have no surviving relatives as described above, then your estate would pass to the Crown. Having a properly written will in place means your wishes are known and can be carried out after your death.

What are the benefits of having a will?

The benefits of having a properly written will include:

You choose who inherits from your estate
You can choose someone to trust to administer your estate
Your family know what your wishes are
Gives the opportunity for estate and inheritance tax planning and management
Makes appropriate provisions for minors or dependents
Assists your estate in the event that the will is contested.

What is the ‘national will register’?

The National Will Register is an official register of wills in the UK. It is approved by the Law Society and used by many solicitor firms. If your will is registered, solicitors can easily find it after your death.

Do I need to register my will?

No – it’s not compulsory to register your will on the National Will Register. However, if you register your will it can make it easier for your family to know what your wishes are after your death.

What are the requirements for a valid will?

In order to be valid, a will should be:

Made by a person over the age of 18
Made in writing; the will can be handwritten or typed
Made by a person with mental capacity, who understands what they are doing
Made voluntarily and without pressure
Signed by the person making the will, with two witnesses present
Signed by two witnesses, in the presence of the person making the will, after they have signed the will themselves.

How does divorce impact a Will?

Many people wrongly believe that a divorce automatically cancels or invalidates a Will. Similarly, individuals with an existing Will may neglect to review it after a divorce, unaware of the potential implications. Divorce can significantly affect the provisions of a Will, an often overlooked issue. It is essential to update a will whenever there is a major change in circumstances, such as a divorce. Our specialist team can help review your will.

Contact us today

If you’d like to meet one of our experts for a confidential, no obligation chat, please get in touch.

Telephone

0800 013 1165

Office locations
Bishop’s Stortford
Brentwood
Cambridge
Chelmsford
North Herts
Saffron Walden

Financial services:
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All legal services provided by Tees are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Tees is a trading name of Stanley Tee LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Number 464615) and is registered in England and Wales number OC327874.

All financial services provided by Tees are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Tees and Tees Wealth are trading names of Tees Financial Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales number 4342506. Registered office address Tees House, 95 London Road, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3GW.

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