Crane & Staples at the Howard Centre!

Posted on May 21, 2013 by grahamdavies

Wednesday 12th June (9am-4.30pm)

PRE-HOLIDAY CHECKLIST – MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING COVERED BEFORE YOU GO!

You may have your bags packed and switched off your lights – but have you updated your Will or even written one?

Okay, so maybe the last one is not on everyone’s holiday checklist but in reality it should be.   If you are abroad and something happens to you are you sure you know who is going to make sure your wishes are carried out?  What about your family?  Who will look after your pets if you don’t come home?

We know this seems shocking, but it’s these things that make a difference.  Having a Will or ensuring your Will is up to date (we recommend a review every 5 years or when your circumstances change) is as important as having your passport and tickets.

Samantha Webb and Erica Pearce-Howard of the Private Client Department of Crane & Staples will be at the Howard Centre, Welwyn Garden City between 9am and 4.30pm on Wednesday 12th June and will be on hand to answer any questions or concerns you may have, be it Powers of Attorney, Inheritance Tax, Care Home fees or asset protection. 

They would be pleased to make an appointment to prepare a new Will for you or to review your existing Will, ensuring it still does what you want it to do, taking advantage of all the tax planning opportunities available.

Please contact:

Samantha Webb

Email: s.webb@crane-staples.co.uk

Tel: 01707 387074

 Or

Erica Pearce-Howard

Email: e.pearce-howard@crane-staples.co.uk

Tel: 01707 387074

 

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Crane & Staples Win Inspiring Hertfordshire Award!

Posted on May 21, 2013 by grahamdavies

We are delighted to announce that Crane & Staples has won the award for Excellence in People Development at the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2013!

Here’s what the judges had to say: 

“Crane & Staples showed they really understand the importance of developing their staff and the difference this has made to company achievements. The judges were very impressed to see an organisation really investing in this at all levels with tailored programmes for all areas of the business”.

We are immensely proud and grateful for this award and would like to pass on our thanks to the judges and organisers for a fabulous evening.

 Congratulations to the winners of all the other categories!

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ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY’S DEMENTIA AWARENESS WEEK

Posted on May 20, 2013 by grahamdavies

19th-25th May 2013

This week is Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Awareness Week and here at Crane & Staples we want to get people talking about dementia.

Did you know that there are 800,000 people with dementia in the UK?  By 2021, this figure is set to rise to 1 million.

Many people worry that they may be at risk of developing dementia – particularly if they have a close relative with the condition. In fact, people over 55 now fear dementia more than any other condition, including cancer.

Researchers have discovered some important factors that affect our risk of developing dementia. These include age and genetics, but also medical history, lifestyle and environmental factors.

Many of us notice that our memory gets worse as we get older, but it can be difficult to tell whether this is a sign of an underlying condition like dementia.

If you think someone close to you might have dementia, it can be difficult to start a conversation about it. Help is at hand.  We work with the Alzheimer’s Society and they can assist with finding some things you can do to make it easier. They can also help on having that first conversation with your GP, if you’re worried about your own memory.

When you’re caring for someone with dementia, it can be all too easy to ignore your own needs and to forget that you matter too.  But it’s much easier to cope if you look after your own health and wellbeing, and there is lots of support available.

Here at Crane & Staples we have dedicated and specialist members of staff who can offer a complete, professional and sympathetic service in helping you and your family make the right decisions at what can be an upsetting and bewildering time. 

If you are at all concerned about who will look after you and your affairs in the event you are unable to do so then we urge you to consider a Lasting Power of Attorney.  This document puts you in control by giving authority to someone you trust to assist you to look after your affairs if you are unable to do so yourself.

We can also take you through the process of going into a care home, the funding, benefits and assessments.  We can sort out your tax affairs, prepare your Will and can even assist with finding the right home or care in your home and take away your worries and concerns.

 

Please contact either Samantha Webb or Erica Pearce-Howard who will be happy to listen and help with your concerns.

 

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SRA urges consumers buying legal services to be ‘scam aware’

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Sharon Montgomery

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is supporting Scams Awareness Month, run by Citizens Advice and Trading Standards, by warning people about bogus solicitors who clone genuine firms to obtain money by deception.

The SRA regulates solicitors and providers of legal services in England and Wales in the public interest and takes action against solicitors who breach their Code of Conduct. However the regulator has seen an increase in this new trend over the past two years and has set up regular update alerts on bogus firms on the consumer section of its website.

This type of scam can take a number of different forms:

  • cold-calls using a bona fide firm’s name which appear to originate in the UK, to try and obtain details from people in relation to claiming back PPI, or to offering to make a Personal Injury claim often where there are no grounds for a claim to be made.
  • unsolicited emails and letters appearing to be from a bona fide law firm but asking for payment in advance, or an “administration charge”, in return for the release of monies supposedly held by a recognisable bank or government authority.

Key things to watch out for are:

read full article here: http://www.sra.org.uk/sra/news/press/scam-aware.page

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£1,945 raised for Isabel Hospice’s Make a Will Week

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Erica Pearce-Howard

We are delighted at the final amount we have managed to raise for the Isabel Hospice Make a Will Week.   The total raised by Crane & Staples is £1690, which is £1945 with Gift Aid, and is a 45% increase on the amount we raised last year.

The Hospice were delighted, as of course are we, and our clients who now have peace of mind knowing they have an up to date will.

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Finalists for Inspiring Herts 2013 Business Awards!

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Sharon Montgomery

We are delighted to have reached the finals for both categories we entered for this year’s Herts Chamber of Commerce Inspiring Hertfordshire Business Awards.

We are finalists for Excellence in People Development and Business of the Year.

Congratulations to all the other finalists and we look forward to seeing everyone at the Gala Dinner on 16 May.

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CLIENTS RUN THE VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON ON 23RD APRIL 2013 IN SUPPORT OF ISABEL HOSPICE

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Erica Pearce-Howard

Crane & Staples clients Mr Dennis Draper and Mrs Eleanor Draper are no strangers to marathon running but this year they are running their 23rd London Marathon in support of Isabel Hospice.

Over the years they have raised well over £10,000 for the charity which is quite remarkable.  We hope that you will join with us at Crane & Staples in supporting Mr and Mrs Draper and Isabel Hospice by donating via their Just Giving page.

http://www.justgiving.com/Eleanor-Dennis-Draper1

We will let you have an update as to their success and total raised after the event and wish both of them the best of luck for a good run!

 

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Employment Boost in Budget – re national insurance

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Richard Gordon

George Osborne told MPs that the Government was taking tax off jobs, which would particularly help small businesses who wanted to hire their first employee or expand their workforce.

From April 2014, all businesses and charities will be eligible for the new allowance, which will reduce their National Insurance contributions (NICs) bill.

Up to 2.5 million employers will benefit, while 450,000 of the country’s smallest businesses will no longer pay any employer NICs.

Employers with fewer than 10 members of staff will see their employer NICs bill cut by £805, said the Treasury.

Under the announcement, every business will be able to employ one worker on a salary of £22,400, or four employees on the minimum wage, without paying any employer NICs.

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Law Society Backs Regulation of Will Writers

Posted on March 15, 2013 by grahamdavies

Following our theme of making a Will the Law Society has now reported that they welcome the proposed changes so that Will writing should now be regulated. Currently unqualified and unregulated Will writers can make Wills but the changes that are being recommended to government will tighten the regulation so that clients will have protection to ensure that they will receive a high level of service and protection by mandatory insurance, for the odd occasion when things go wrong.  If you want to make a Will why don’t you contact our Private client department who will be happy to assist you.

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Supporting Isabel Hospice ‘Make a Will’ Week!

Posted on March 11, 2013 by grahamdavies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, the Crane & Staples team were out in force in the Howard Centre, in support of the Isabel Hospice ‘Make a Will’ week. The team were answering your questions and highlighting the benefits of making a Will.

We were inviting people to enter our competitions for a chance to win our Easter themed chocolate prizes. Competitions included guessing the number of chocolate eggs in a jar and coming up with the best excuse for not making a Will. Congratulations to our two prize winners!

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