There may come a time when you aren’t able to make crucial financial decisions, from selling property or shares to signing tax returns. Power of Attorney agreements grant a family member or another third party the legal right to make these decisions on your behalf.
Achieve peace of mind knowing your loved ones will be looked after the way you want them to be by ensuring these important documents are completed and therefore available when necessary. Everything you need to create Enduring Powers of Attorney and a Will can be found in our template section. Follow the simple step-by-step instructions to create these important documents and upload them in My Legal for safe-keeping.
Being a guardian of a child means having all duties, powers, rights and responsibilities that a parent has in bringing up the child.
Care of Children Act 2004, s 15
Record details of any guardians you have appointed, how they can be contacted and upload any relevant documentation and paperwork you have for safe-keeping.
Testamentary guardians are appointed by a will or deed of a parent of the child. The person appointed becomes a testamentary guardian automatically when the parent dies. A testamentary guardian becomes a joint guardian with any other guardians. However, the surviving parent or guardian may challenge his or her appointment.
Care of Children Act 2004, s26
Note: Testamentary guardians have the guardianship responsibilities of contributing to the child’s development and helping to make the important decisions in a child’s life. However, they do not have the automatic right to provide day-to-day care for the child. They must apply to the court if they want to be involved in the child’s day-to-day care.
A guardian's responsibilities include:
End of Life Planning; the Perfect Gift For You and Your FamilyLife is full of twists and turns. Planning and gathering together all these jigsaw pieces now will relieve a lot of stress later. Whether you have a terminal illness, are involved in an accident, or embarking on the one adventure every human must eventually take into the great beyond; end of life planning helps you to become more efficient, engaged in your life and your family can easily take over if needed. LifeLot is simple to set up, free to try, and it can make a world of difference for your family if something happens to you.
A power of attorney is a document appointing someone to make decisions on your behalf or sign documents for you. You need to think carefully about who you give this power to.
There are various types of power of attorney. The most common type is the enduring power of attorney (EPA) which is flexible and will allow the person you have named to continue acting even if you are no longer able to make decisions yourself.
Record details of any EPAs you have appointed, how they can be contacted and upload any relevant documentation and paperwork you have for safe-keeping.
Like to know more? Click here for more information on Enduring Powers of Attorney, or see our glossary for more EPA definitions.
There are many different types of Trust, and depending on the type of assets you’re trying to protect or your goals in setting up a Trust, there may be some Trust that will better meet your needs than others.
Record all of the following information:
In some cases, creating legal documents online can make things easier, as there's less hassle involved in completing forms and documents, and the cost is significantly less.
Although the end of your life is something you probably don't want to dwell on, deciding what will happen to your assets and personal possessions after you pass is important. Preparing a Will is the simplest way to ensure that your funds and property will be distributed according to your wishes. If you have specific wishes, it's important to write a will to make sure they are legally carried out.
A Will is a legal document that lets you say:
A Will is a legal document designating the transfer of your property and assets after you die, and can be written by any person over the age of 18 who is of sound mind and memory.
Writing a Will doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. LifeLot provides a free and simple way to compose your own legal Will online in a few easy steps:
Protect yourself and your family with a legally binding Will. If you already have a will it's important to update it when things change, and makes sure your wishes are current, correct and up to date.
There's a lot more to life these days and LifeLot acts as your very own personal database from which the information you gather and store can be retrieved quickly and presented to you in different ways.
The information that is entered in My Legal will feed into many important document templates that you can create, like a Will, Enduring Power of Attorney or Advanced Care Plan.
Often the only time you seem to think about your important documents is when you need them. And, often you can't find them because you either don't have an organised and centralised system for storing your important documents and/or the last time you needed them, you simply tossed it back into the sea of papers in your home office instead of putting it back where it belonged!
There is probably some other stuff that only sits in your head and your family would love to know. LifeLot ensures important information is passed through generations. In a medical emergency, a delegate will be able to securely access an Advance Care Plan or Will, and call upon other important documents when they're most needed.
It's simple to set up, free to try, and it can make a world of difference for your family if something happens to you.