For someone who has never dealt with a deceased person’s affairs, the legal jargon and complicated processes can be hard to digest; the tasks involved are unlikely to be previously encountered and come with a great deal of legal and financial responsibility. Unfortunately, this can make the difficult time of coming to terms with the death of a loved one even harder.

When coming to terms with the death of a loved one, the grieving period can be disrupted or worsened by issues with their Will, inheritance disputes, or other complications. These difficulties are often highlighted by high-profile probate and estate administration cases. This blog explores lessons that can be drawn from prominent celebrity deaths and the complexities that arose upon their passing.

In the non-digital era, sentimental memories consisted of printed photographs, photo albums, postcards, scrapbooks, and certificates. Due to their tangible nature, these were easily retrievable by the loved ones of someone who had passed away. Fast-forward to today’s modern world where digital technology has become an integral part of our personal lives, people have now opted to store their sentimental memories online, for example, photos on social media and videos on cloud storage. Unfortunately, many do not consider what will happen to these digital assets upon death; accessing sentimental memories online can be a difficult task for loved ones to navigate without prior digital legacy planning.

As many aspects of our lives move to the digital world, it’s unsurprising that the task of dealing with a loved one’s digital assets when they pass away is becoming increasingly common. A digital asset that is frequently making the headlines due to its growing popularity is cryptocurrency. Due to cryptocurrency only recently emerging (in the first decade of the twenty-first century), many are still unaware of what cryptocurrency is and may simply overlook the stage of dealing with cryptoassets during estate administration.

Death remains to be a topic that many of us avoid thinking about and do not wish to discuss with our loved ones, which can sometimes lead to absent or ineffective estate planning. According to the ‘UK Wills & Probate Market 2020: Consumer Research Report’, less than 4 in 10 adults in the UK have made a Will, despite predictions that the COVID-19 pandemic would encourage more people to plan for the future.

Death is not a subject that we like to consider or discuss, however, planning ahead is more important than ever to ensure your affairs are in order before your passing. Regardless of your age, wealth, health or status, planning for your future can guarantee your wishes are followed and ensure your loved ones get the full benefit of your legacy. Taking the necessary steps and precautions during your lifetime can also eliminate any unnecessary stress that your loved ones may face when administering your estate when the times comes.

The Argentine football icon, Diego Maradona, passed away in November after suffering a heart attack at the age of 60. Maradona’s passing has caused speculation about his wealth and complicated financial legacy, as it’s been suspected that he passed away without a Will.

It’s a thought no one enjoys pondering, but what would happen if we fell ill or had an accident and were unable to make important decisions for ourselves? Many people believe this only applies as we get older, however, no one is immune to an unfortunate circumstance, which makes it all the more important to think about and plan for sooner rather than later.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot at Windsor Castle on the 19th of May 2018. Almost one year on, in the early hours of the 6th May 2019 the couple welcomed baby boy, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, into the family.