Wills · Trusts · Estate planning
Get your wishes in writing, and the family home looked after.
Plain-English help with wills, trusts and estate planning from an adviser with 20+ years in lending. The will, the mortgage and the cover behind them get looked at together, by one person.
First conversation free
No obligation
Whole of the UK
One adviser who understands the property, the borrowing and the paperwork that passes it on.
Andy Craddock · Founder & adviser · 20+ years in lending
What would you like to sort out?
Answer a few quick questions and Andy will get back to you within one working day. Takes about two minutes.
Confidential · no obligation · about 2 minutes
What we’ll ask
Topic→Family→Home→Contact→Done
Contact details come last, so you see every question first.
What we help with
Four things worth getting right
Each one is simple enough on its own. The value is in making sure they all point the same way.
Wills
Who inherits, who sorts things out, and who looks after the children. Without a will, the law decides for you.
Read about wills →
Trusts
A way to hand something to people you trust to look after it for someone else. More everyday than they sound.
Read about trusts →
Estate planning
What your estate is worth, where it goes, and whether inheritance tax takes a slice. Planned while you can still choose.
Read about estate planning →
Life cover
A will decides who gets the house. Life cover helps make sure there’s money to keep it. Best planned together.
Read about life cover →
Worth knowing
Four things that surprise people
No will? The law picks for you.
If you die without a will, fixed “intestacy” rules decide who inherits. They may not match what you’d have chosen.
Living together isn’t the same as married.
Under those rules an unmarried partner has no automatic right to inherit, however long you’ve been together.
Marriage cancels an old will.
Getting married or entering a civil partnership normally revokes an existing will in England and Wales.
Cover can sit outside your estate.
A life policy written in trust usually pays out to the people you choose, without waiting for probate.
These points describe the law in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so tell us where you live and we’ll take that into account.
How it works
From first question to signed paperwork
1
Tell us what you need
A few quick questions online, or a phone call if you’d rather. Contact details come last.
2
A proper conversation
Free and with no obligation. Family, property, policies and what you want to happen, in plain English.
3
A clear plan, in writing
What we’d suggest, what it costs and why. If something isn’t worth doing, we’ll say so.
4
Done, then kept up to date
Documents checked with you line by line and signed properly, then reviewed when life changes.
Why Life & Mortgages
A consultation first, paperwork second
Most families end up with a will from one place, life cover from another and a mortgage from a third, and nobody checks that they fit together. We start with the whole picture.
Life & Mortgages is part of Craddock Financial Solutions, a UK-wide firm led by Andy Craddock, who has spent more than twenty years in lending. That’s why we pay close attention to the house: it’s usually the biggest thing in an estate.
Andy Craddock
Founder & adviser · 20+ years in lending
- One adviser across the will, the cover and the mortgage
- Costs set out in writing before you commit
- Honest about what you don’t need
- Clients across the whole of the UK
Frequently asked questions
We’re married. Do we still need wills?
Usually, yes. Without wills, the intestacy rules decide how your estate is split, and that may not be how you’d choose. A will also lets you name guardians for children under 18 and choose your executors.
How much does it cost?
It depends on what’s involved, so we don’t publish a price list. The first conversation is free, and you’ll get the cost in writing before you commit to anything.
Are wills regulated?
No. Will writing, trusts and estate planning are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our mortgage and life insurance advice is regulated, through CMME Mortgages and Protection Limited.
Is anything on this site advice?
No. It’s general information to help you understand the options. Advice comes after we’ve talked through your own situation.
Do you sell my data?
No. Your details are only used to handle your enquiry. See Privacy & data use for the plain-English version.
Ready to get it sorted?
A few quick questions, then a free conversation with Andy. No obligation, and no jargon.
Free first conversation · no obligation · whole of the UK