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Hello
IÕm Rod Fisher of Wealthguard.
I run a specialist Probate practice and IÕm passionate about avoiding unfair
probate fees.
Nobody wants to get ripped off
particularly at the time of bereavement but all too often that's exactly what
happens.
IÕm not saying that solicitors and banks are negligent in what they do,
just in a great many cases they are greedy and greatly overcharged for their
services despite regular press exposure of the problem.
When someone dies an application is usually made to the Court
to obtain a document called the Grant.
It's a Court's formal permission for the executives to deal with the deceased's
estate,
collect the assets
and pay the beneficiaries.
This whole process is commonly referred to as Probate
and can take anything from a few months
to several years to complete
depending on the complexity of the estate.
However most estate's are relatively straightforward.
Legal expenses are something we'd all like to avoid
and even though the probate costs are paid from the deceased's estate
there's still a duty to maximize what's available for beneficiaries.
Solicitors and banks are regularly criticised, and rightly so, for their
excessive charges for probate work.
Many solicitors charge a percentage fee
based on the value of the estate,
typically one-and-a-half to three percent
and banks charge four to five percent.
On top of the charges will be VAT and the disbursements -
costs such as Court fees.
take for example typical £500,000 estate.
A solicitor charging 1.5% would typically cost about
£10,000 including VAT and disbursements
and a bank charging 4.0%
would cost a whopping £25,000!
For the same estate, Wealthguard would charge approximately £1,900
a massive saving - because we charge a fixed monetary fee
not a percentage of the estate value, and we still make a healthy profit.
What's more,
why should a bank account containing say £200,000
cost any more to administer than one containing just £2,000
when itÕs dealt with in exactly the same way?
Clearly it shouldn't
but thatÕs what happens with percentage fee charging.
Quite frankly
I feel that charging a percentage fee is simply outrageous and greedy!
The alternative is to charge a fixed monetary fee
yet few solicitors will offer this and neither will banks.
Some people appoint a relative or friend as the Executor of their Will
but when the time comes
the task is often passed like a hot potato to a solicitor or bank.
Often this lay Executor feels unable to act due to lack of legal knowledge,
pressing business or family commitments,
or ill health,
but by instructing a solicitor or bank they then fall into the high fees
trap!
Wealthguard offer an alternative.
WeÕll obtain the Grant and expertly administer the estate from start to
finish
for just £1,500 plus VAT and disbursements
regardless of the estate value or the number of holdings
no ifs, no buts, no hidden costs - just great value!
If you'd like to appoint a professional executor
to relieve your relatives of the burden
but without the rip-off charges
why not give us a call
on freephone 0800
849
8095
We'd be delighted to help