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When people need to go into care, the local councils that end up supporting the care costs are well known for their doggedness in attempting to ensure that the person being cared for supplies as much of the funding as possible. This will often involve a review of how they managed their finances prior to their need for care and, in particular, whether they acted in a way that was intended to remove assets from their estate or control so that the council would pick up a greater proportion of...

Legislation that will give families of people who go missing the ability to administer their affairs is to come into effect: but not until July 2019. The Bill received the Royal Assent as long ago as April 2017, but the need for secondary regulations and legislation is such that it will take nearly another year to bring into effect. The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 will allow the relatives of missing persons who are habitually resident in England and Wales to obtain an order to manage their financial affairs. A...

There has been a massive amount of disinformation put about over the years (and, apparently, recently promoted by the Russian security services) regarding the effects of various vaccinations on children. One result is that some parents are deeply wary of allowing their children to be vaccinated. Recently, the Family Court was asked to decide whether a child's routine vaccinations should continue after her parents separated: her father is deeply opposed to them. His various arguments in favour of the child not receiving further vaccinations included the claim that they would...

Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) have many advantages over normal savings accounts – chiefly that the investment income earned on them is tax free and gains within them are not subject to Capital Gains Tax. They are, not surprisingly, widely regarded as a staple tool in the financial planning toolbox. A UK resident can invest up to £20,000 each tax year in an ISA. However, there are disadvantages, one of which is that ISAs are always held by one individual and cannot be held jointly. This means that on death, an...