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THE PHONE RINGS – DISCUSSIONS HAD – ISSUES RESOLVED

The phone rang. It was the local Solicitor who was with Clients who needed help and fast. With her need for an urgent hip operation and the NHS waiting list having already kept her for more than 18 months, Mrs F decided that enough was enough. She could wait no longer and the immobility now meant that she could not even get in and out of the bath. There seemed no hope and she certainly she wouldn’t be getting medical clearance to get to Australia to see her newborn Grandson, whether she could afford it or not, not being the case here. Neither would her massively supportive and attentive husband who was concerned only for her well-being. Their only son had emigrated some time ago and was not coming back as far as he was concerned and his view that Mum and Dad’s wellbeing in later life was paramount, as would most children, unconcerned with their potential inheritance after their days. There was also no mortgage on the house, yet it was worth a very decent amount and was there to be used. After a brief chat with the Solicitor, he suggested that I may be able to help and kindly helped them contact me as they requested, as their bank wouldn’t lend the necessary money with their pension income deemed too low for a large loan.

We arranged a meeting at their house and after a long and detailed discussion taking everything into account we agreed a potential way forward. They would raise an amount via a later life borrowing arrangement which would provide sufficient capital to help pay for a brand new, good quality wet room with walk-in shower and seat for bathing, so no more bath (£12,000). The money would also permit a private operation on the problem hip (£16,000) and a trip to see that new Grandson on the other side of the World, with a month’s holiday to make the memory of a lifetime. The tickets for comfortable flights were also paid for from within the cash raised and following the necessary period of recuperation, two very happy and excited people were on their way.

This is just an example of how utilising the value tied up in your home, can be used to good effect when there seems no other alternative. It could be for home improvements however, or other much needed capital. Call us on 01656 782545 or 07768 418308 to have that initial informal discussion. It may not be for you or it could well be and we’ll help you find the best solution.

PAUL FIELDING

Dragon Financial

Call 01656 782545 / 07768 418308

How To Save Tax Thrice With The Proper Advice

Did you know there are hidden advantages in paying into the pension pot of your adult children?

A little-known tax rule means parents can give a triple boost to their adult children by paying into their pensions. Not only will it boost kid’s retirement savings, but it also saves income tax, inheritance tax and can help them reduce or avoid the child benefit charge for higher earners.

The contribution by you is treated as if it had been made by them. If you pay £800 into your child’s pension, they will get basic rate tax relief on the contribution, taking the amount in the pot up to £1,000.

If the child is a higher-rate taxpayer, they can claim higher rate relief on the contribution made and reduce their tax bill.

If the child is affected by the ‘high income child benefit charge’, earning in the £50,000-£60,000 bracket (or slightly above), the money contributed is deducted from their income before the high income child benefit charge is worked out, thereby reducing their tax charge, for example, if they are earning £60,000 and therefore faces a child benefit tax charge of 100% of their child benefit amount, a pension contribution by the parent of £8,000 (grossed up to £10,000 by tax relief) would reduce the recipient’s income to £50,000 for purposes of the child benefit charge and would completely eliminate the tax charge.

Apart from wanting to help your children, you may be interested in this idea particularly because contributions may reduce future Inheritance Tax bills, if they qualify for one of the standard exemptions, such as regular gifts made from regular income.

The amount that you can contribute with the benefit of pension tax relief is not limited by your pension tax relief limit but by the limit that your children face – which in many cases will be up to their annual salary or £60,000, whichever is the lower.

Do not forget pensions themselves are free from Inheritance tax. For more creative Investment, estate and tax planning solutions contact Pippa Vaughan-Avery at Abacus Assurance on 01656 772222.

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If you would like your child to learn important lifesaving skills, how to be safe in the sea and have lots of fun at the same time with like minded kids, then get in touch.

Nippers are aged between 7-13. As a Nipper your child will be taught surf safety, basic lifesaving skills, surf and beach sports such as wading, surf swimming, board paddling, beach flags, beach sprints and relays.

Nippers train indoors at Pyle pool throughout the year, and at Rest Bay beach during the summer months.

Nippers are able to obtain various surf safety awards, and are taught valuable lifesaving and safety skills at both the beach and the pool.

If you would like more information please contact:

ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT PAYING CARE FEES IN THE FUTURE?

It can be a shock to many people (and their loved ones) when they realise the monthly costs of a residential care home, which can be very expensive and often in excess of £3000 per month.

Whilst you may be eligible for financial help from your local authority or, in some circumstances, from the NHS, there is a detailed assessment which needs to be carried out before a determination is made.

Many people do not qualify for this financial help and so the local authority will carry out a financial assessment otherwise known as a means test to ascertain your income and capital, which includes valuing all your assets such as your home, other properties, savings and investments.

In Wales, if you have capital assets collectively valued at more than £50,000 then you will be expected to pay full care costs fees, which is known as self-funding. In England, this figure is just £23,250.

Many people are forced to sell properties or investments to release capital to meet the monthly care costs. Therefore, it is only natural that people are looking at protecting their assets, especially if they wish to leave their family home to their children. Many people will also seek financial advice about their income and ensuring that their investments are achieving the best income for them, remember your income can be offset against the monthly care costs.

People often overlook the impact paying monthly care costs might have on their spouse or partner who continues to live at home but who has, for many years, relied on their joint income with their spouse/partner.

Whilst there are alternatives to going into a care home such as domiciliary care and having care at home, the threshold for capital in this type of arrangement is even lower. Some people believe that having a Will in place is all that is required from them, sadly, that is not always the case, there is much further planning that can take place to at least try to protect assets or place you in the best position to meet monthly care costs. This is why early planning is required for you, your partner and family. We strongly recommend that you speak to our Estates and Trust team to explore the best options available to you.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO PUT PROVISIONS IN PLACE TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR PETS?

It is estimated that 17 million households in the UK have at least one pet. It is important to consider who will take care of your pets if you lose the capacity to do so, or if you die. Although it is difficult to think about what may happen to your pets if you were not around to care for them, there are positive steps that you can take to ensure that in your absence, your pets will be taken care of exactly how you want. For owners living alone, it’s essential to plan for your pets in case you can no longer look after them.

There are various options available to you to ensure that your pets’ interests are best looked after during your lifetime should you lose capacity, or after your death. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) enables you to give power to another individual to make decisions during your lifetime if you lose capacity. A will specifies what will happen to your assets in the event of your death. An LPA enables you to transfer authority to a trusted individual who will continue to act in the way you have decided. You may require someone to provide food or exercise your pet whilst they stay in your home with you. You may decide for your pet to live with your trusted individual and request that they bring your pet to visit you regularly. It is also important to decide where your pet will live after your death. This detail can be specified within your will to ensure your wishes are fulfilled.

If you would like help or guidance preparing your Lasting Power of Attorney, or your will, please contact our team of experts at Redkite Solicitors. We are here to help and support you through every step of the process.

RLE Law welcomes new member to the Family Team

RLE Law is pleased to announce the appointment of Tracey Murphy to our family team. Tracey is a veteran in family law matters, being a Resolution Qualified All Issues Family Law Mediator and also a qualified Facilitator of the Domestic Violence Freedom Programme.

Tracey started her career in 1989 with a Pontypridd firm before joining a long established firm in 1993 where she assumed responsibility of the matrimonial department at their Talbot Green Office. Tracey has specialised in all aspects of Private Family Law, dealing with a large and varied caseload of Private Family Law matters to include divorce and separation, financial claims, children issues, domestic abuse and Pre-Nuptial/Cohabitation & Separation Agreements, acting for both private and legally aided clients.

As a member of Resolution Tracey is committed to resolving disputes in a non-confrontational and constructive manner whenever possible and is firm in her belief that the relationship between the lawyer and client is of central importance to achieving this.

Tracey will be available to clients across the firm and will have a base at the firm’s Treorchy office. Tracey is local to the area and began her career at Bence and Samuels solicitors in Treorchy some 40 years ago and is looking forward to returning to Treorchy to work.

Emma Hardwidge, Managing Director of the firm commented that ‘We are very pleased to have Tracey join the team. Tracey’s experience and approach will add a further dimension and breadth to what we can offer to our clients , who are often looking for a pragmatic and cost effective solution at a very difficult time’

What are the rights of cohabitees?

The Office of National Statistics shows that the number of cohabiting couples is growing faster than the number of married couples. Despite this, often cohabitees do not fully appreciate that you do not have the same legal rights as married couples and that the ‘Common Law Marriage’ is a myth.

If you are cohabiting it is essential that you know your rights and where you stand if your name is not on the title deeds. In many cases, couples choose to live in a property that is only owned by only one party. Without any formal agreement in place, this can create problems if the couple later split up and the property owner asks the other to leave, potentially leaving them in financial difficulties and possibly homeless.

Without any agreement in place, you would need to establish whether you have a Beneficial Share under a Resulting or Constructive Trust and this may need to go to go to court if no agreement can be reached.

Resulting Trusts

If you have made financial contributions to the ownership of a property, either through the deposit or subsequent mortgage payments, a court may decide that as a result of these payments, you have a beneficial interest in the property. This is known as a resulting trust.

Constructive Trusts

A constructive trust might imply you have a beneficial interest in a property if it can be established that both parties had a 'common intention' about the beneficial ownership of the property, arising either from the time of purchase or a later date. It isn't necessary to have had an explicit conversation about this in order to establish beneficial ownership. A court will simply look at the conduct of both parties in order to assess whether or not you had 'common intentions' with regards to the property during your relationship.

What can you do?

The best thing you can do is set up an agreement before you cohabit so you are both clear about who will be responsible for bills, how any payments will be treated and whether you intend both of you to have an interest in the property. This can be set out in a Cohabitation Agreement.

If you split up and you have no agreement in place, then RLE Law can advise on what Beneficial Ownership Rights you may have. Email:treorchy@rlelalw.com

Laleston Gardening Club

arrangements which gave us plenty of new ideas. Our Practice night in May is entitled “Simply Tulips” and we will learn new ways to arrange these colourful flowers. On June 14th we have our club competition and on 28th we have our practice night entitled “Summer Sizzler”

We are always delighted to welcome new members and visitors are also welcome at our meetings. You may enrol at any time if you wish to join. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings of the month at Awel y Mor Centre at 7pm. Please check out our Facebook page and WhatsApp group for more information.

Alison Thomas, Club Secretary 07581 048448

June for me is when I get excited to see my roses flower again, so beautiful and a sign of summer. However, I will also be putting the last of my bedding plants out to hopefully create a good display for the coming season. It’s time to clip box and privet, feed & water containers on a regular basis now. Stake tall perennial plants, plant out runner beans and French beans if you haven’t already done so. Lots to do in the greenhouse too, tomato side shoots to remove, feed in there too and train cucumbers up their supports. If weather permits don’t forget to take time to sit in the garden and Enjoy!

Laleston Gardening Club had a very successful Plant Sale in May and we would like to thank all those who supported us. The raffle prizes were very well received with smiling recipients, the weather was wonderful and made it such a lovely day. It will be the last one we will be holding as it has grown to be so successful, but so, so much work for our ageing Committee. We will grow plants next year but on a much smaller scale and will sell from our greenhouse at Cliff Cottage. The Club embarks on its first summer trip to Brobury Gardens this month; we have fingers crossed for fine weather.

Susan Ford

Porthcawl Floral Society News

May has been a busy time for our club.

On 5th, the national society celebrated with the lonely bouquet campaign. Many of us created bouquets which were left around Porthcawl to be picked up and enjoyed . Some happy finders took to Social Media with their appreciation. We are also looking forward to our club trip to Lampeter where we will have a meal and flower demonstration by Gareth. Our demonstration was by Beverley Clay who kindly substituted for Barbara Cummings. She concentrated on basket displays and making arrangements using environmentally friendly medium. We were shown a wide variety of

Deadline date for the July issue is:

THURSDAY 15TH JUNE

Cefn Cribwr Gardening Club

June is by far the busiest month in the calendar of the Gardening Club as this is the month in which we have our biggest event. Our Open Day is on Sunday 25th June and the village will have the yellow bunting out to celebrate! Many of our gardens have had awards from the NGS (National Garden Scheme) for ten years of opening, helping to raise funds for charity including cancer care like Marie Curie, Macmillan and Hospice UK. Last year we did our bit to help them donate £3.11 million. There are usually around 12-15 gardens open, each very individual so whatever interests you in gardening, whether it be roses, koi carp or carrots you are sure to find it here. Free transport is available to take you from garden to garden courtesy of the Glamorgan Iron Horse Vintage Society. There will, of course be coffee and cake in the village hall to sustain you on your journey, or if you want something stronger then it may that the Community pub ‘Three Horseshoes’ will be on your list of places to visit. The hall will also have craft stalls and plant sales. Our garden owners are always keen to welcome visitors and chat about their prize plants, their problems with greenfly or what they do with cabbage white butterflies. We can’t guarantee the weather but we can promise you an interesting day out for £5 each, children free. We are open from 11am – 5 pm and look forward to welcoming you.

Veronica Davies

Haf i’w

Mae'n swyddogol, bydd yr haf yn cyrraedd y mis hwn ac mae gennym restr lawn o ddigwyddiadau i chi eu joio ym Mae Abertawe’r mis Mehefin hwn!

Ni fydd y rheini ohonoch sy'n dwlu ar gerddoriaeth am golli Gŵyl Jazz

Ryngwladol Abertawe sy'n cael ei chynnal o 16 i 18 Mehefin mewn lleoliadau amrywiol yn y ddinas.

Mae llawer mwy o gerddoriaeth i'w mwynhau drwy gydol mis Mehefin gyda llu o ddigwyddiadau yn yr arfaeth ar gyfer

Neuadd Brangwyn gan gynnwys cyngerdd i gloi'r tymor Cerddorfa Genedlaethol

Gymreig y BBC, disgo distaw'r 90au a pherfformiadau gan nifer o gorau penigamp.

Mae'r adeg hon o'r flwyddyn hefyd yn golygu bod ein holl atyniadau awyr agored gwych bellach ar agor eto. Gallwch fynd ar bedalo ym Mharc Singleton a rhoi cynnig ar golff gwallgof pan fyddwch yn y parc hwnnw neu yng Ngerddi Southend yn y Mwmbwls.

Gallwch gael amser wrth eich bodd yn

Lido Blackpill lle ceir pwll padlo a nodweddion dŵr a chofiwch Drên Bach enwog Bae Abertawe - pawb ar y trên!

I'r rheini sy'n dwlu ar hanes, mae'n rhaid ymweld â Chastell Ystumllwynarth. Mae digwyddiadau sy'n addas i bob oed yn cael eu cynnal yn y castell sydd mewn lleoliad trawiadol yn edrych dros y Mwmbwls.

Mae gan ein tîm Chwaraeon ac Iechyd ddigon i'w gynnig os ydych am gyfuno mwynhau'r awyr agored â chadw'n heini. Cadwch lygad ar ein gwefan am yr holl fanylion diweddaraf.

Ar gyfer y diwrnodau hynny pan fydd mwy o law na heulwen, cofiwch ein lleoliadau diwylliannol - Oriel Gelf Glynn Vivian, Canolfan Dylan Thomas ac Amgueddfa

Abertawe - a'n 17 o lyfrgelloedd y gall pawb eu mwynhau yn rhad ac am ddim, sy'n barod i'ch croesawu

Mae llawer ar ddod gennym hefyd yn y misoedd sy'n dod.

Un dyddiad pwysig ar gyfer dyddiadur fis nesaf yw Sioe Awyr Cymru. Cynhelir y digwyddiad gwych am ddim hwn ar 1 a 2 Gorffennaf.

Am ragor o ddigwyddiadau a gweithgareddau'r haf hwn, cymerwch gip ar ein gwefan a'n cyfryngau cymdeithasol