As consumers, we are forever looking for a bargain – perhaps especially these days - and the world of estate administration is no exception. Some people are capable of administering a deceased parent’s, or spouse's, estate without professional assistance – although anyone contemplating this should be alive to the pitfalls that await the unwary - the cost of probate provided by a professional is often small in relation to the stress created, and time needed, in even a simple case. In this article I will show, based on my experience, some of the things you will need to be aware of, should you decide to administer an estate yourself.

Although it can be risky, administering an estate is usually relatively straightforward to the experienced practitioner. Occasionally, though, some elements of a particular estate will test the mettle of the best. Nicholas Beetham looks at a recent “perfect storm” estate which, although demanding, presented no more than a welcome challenge to Kings Court, who administered it smoothly and without fuss.

It has long been the case that gifts in Wills provide a vital source of income for charities. It may surprise you to learn that many charities state that 80% of their voluntary donations come from legacy income.

Recent publicity has highlighted the need for care when appointing executors to one’s will. Banks have come in for bruising criticism of their charges for acting as executor and, on 17th March 2011, The Law Society issued a practice note to solicitors setting out their responsibilities to their clients in this regards. Nicholas Beetham discusses the issues you should consider when choosing your executors and sets out a useful checklist to help you make the right decision.

Dealing with overseas assets can give even the most patient executor a continent-sized headache. Nicholas Beetham looks at how Kings Court’s in-house expertise calmly deals with an element of estate administration whose frequency is on the increase.

There seem to be many reasons for dying intestate. Inertia may be the culprit; or the (usually mistaken) beliefs that “my partner will get everything” or “I haven’t got anything to leave.” Occasionally intestacy may arise accidentally, for example where a will has been prepared but not signed, or, for whatever other reason, fails.

Some people still sometimes refer to Inheritance Tax (IHT) as Death Duty. The tax has gone by a number of names over the years (not all of them complimentary…) and was, perhaps, most memorably characterised by Labour Chancellor Roy Jenkins as “…a voluntary levy paid by those who distrust their heirs more than they dislike the Inland Revenue.”

William Feeny, Chartered Accountant, discusses the various practices that have evolved for pricing estate administration services. Most advisers working in the financial services market will understand the concepts of “credence goods” and “asymmetry of information”. But there are many consumers who purchase these services everyday and do not recognise the words or the dangers.