WILL & ESTATE ADMINISTRATION
PRE-PAID FUNERAL PLANS
Direct from £1100*
Traditional from £2500
today, tomorrow & beyond
BENEFITS OF PLANNING
Emotional Benefits:
If your wishes are unknown when you die, they will be faced with making difficult decisions at a trying time. Will they know if you wish to be buried or cremated?
Financial Benefits:
Planning ahead enables you to make financial arrangements to cover your funeral costs. Even if you are leaving behind sufficient money.
Family Benefits:
Taking care of your funeral arrangements is a thoughtful and caring thing to do for your family. It is comforting to know that you have done all you can do to ease their burden.
Get the personal support you deserve
An Introduction To Estate Administration
One of the most common questions asked is “why do I need a will?”
Writing a will is an important step to ensure those we want to inherit from our estate do.
Many people assume that without a will their loved ones will automatically be able to handle their affairs and benefit from it, unfortunately this isn’t always the case. Without a will, the law states who is entitled to inherit.
Questions You May Have
I have no assets, why do I need a will?
It is almost impossible to guess the circumstances in which we are going to pass away. Although we may not own anything of value or great sums in our savings account, we could have children that need guardians, a death in service at work that will form part of our estate, a pension to claim or even a holiday insurance claim should something happen abroad.
Home written wills
If your circumstances are straightforward, writing your own will may be the answer. There are many guides available online or from WHSmith. Alternatively, if you are over the age of 55, many solicitors take part in Free Will Writing Month once or twice a year.
What to include in a will?
• Who is going to look after your estate after your death (executors)
• Who should look after children under the age of 18
• Who would you like to benefit from your estate
• Who should benefit from your estate if your beneficiaries die before you
What to include in a will?
• You must be over 18
• Sign it in the presence of 2 witnesses who are both over 18
• Have it signed by your 2 witnesses, in your presence
Note: your witnesses can not be beneficiaries in your will
When to consider a professional written will?
Family units are more diverse than ever before, made up of, step relations, half-siblings and family members we sadly no longer have contact with. Writing a will can reflect a family situation to ensure family members are protected.
Consider professional advice when:
• Your estate could be taxable
• There are vulnerable beneficiaries
• You are disinheriting close family members
• You have overseas assets
• You own business assets
Hints and tips for will writing
• Ensure your executor knows where your will is being held
• File a copy of your will with your paperwork
• If you are writing your own will check it is valid by a local solicitor
• Never unfasten/unstaple an original will
Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA)
Many of us have experienced the frustration of trying to sort out a bill on someone’s behalf to find the company won’t speak to us as we aren’t the account holder. Imagine trying to look after someone’s entire life with this restriction, challenging?
This is why many people choose to appoint an attorney (one or more) to be able to act on their behalf should they lose capacity and be unable to handle their affairs themselves.
There are two types of LPA:
• Property and Financial Affairs
• Personal Welfare
You can appoint more than one attorney, who can look after your affairs either jointly or severely, meaning that they can act with one signature or alternatively require all attorneys to agree before decisions are made.
No matter how young or old you are, the best time to appoint an attorney is when you are fit and able to do so. Should capacity be lost without these provisions in place, the process of applying through the court (deputyship order), is costly and emotionally distressing for those trying to help their loved one.
Making an LPA
Similar to writing your own will, this is a process you can do yourself. The government website has the application forms available to complete.
Solicitors and estate planning specialists provide the service of drafting and registering LPA on your behalf, of course at a cost. The benefit of having a professional handle the application on your behalf is that they will be familiar with the process and documents, taking away the stress and concern of incorrectly completing the forms.
You don’t have to do this alone. We are here to guide you.
Everyone has different needs when it comes to funeral planning, so we make sure the plans we offer are as flexible as possible. When you get in touch, we’ll be happy to discuss your funeral requirements and tailor a plan to suit you. Rest assured a plan from Golden Charter is available to all UK residents regardless of age or state of health.
A plan to suit your needs
As an independently owned funeral director, we’ll take the time to understand your wishes and tailor a plan to suit you. We can discuss these at our premises or in your home, at a time that is convenient for you. If you’d prefer to discuss this over the phone or via email, we can assist with this too. You can tell us about any preferences you have in mind – the type of funeral you would like to have, hymns, music or any other personal touches – and we’ll make sure your plan takes these into account.
What’s included in a pre-paid funeral plan?
Our funeral director’s services will be covered in your funeral plan, which means our fees will be fixed at today’s prices and protected against rising costs. These services typically include:
- Professional services and making arrangements for the funeral
- Transportation of the deceased from the place of death to our premises, chapel of rest or other suitable location
- Care of the deceased and preparations for family viewing if requested
- Advice on the certification and registration of death and related documentation
- Provision of funeral vehicles
- Advice on bereavement counselling
- Coffin or casket requested
Looking after you as a customer
As a Golden Charter plan holder, you’ll receive personalised plan documents, which include a summary of your plan, our details, your plan holder certificate and a personal membership card for you to carry in your purse or wallet. You can add a nominated representative to your plan if you wish to do so. Your nominated representative will receive a letter which will provide details of your plan and our details, as your chosen funeral director. They will have no authority to make changes to your plan.
You’ll also receive a statement from Golden Charter every three years which will be sent via post.
As your funeral director, we’ll hold full details of your funeral plan. When the time comes, one phone call is all it takes to activate your plan and get the arrangements underway.
An Introduction To Golden Charter Funeral Plans
Robson & Stephens are proud to represent and recommend Golden Charter funeral plans and a effective way to manage the future costs of providing a Funeral Service.
A funeral plan is an easy way to arrange the funeral you want in advance. A plan allows you to specify your wishes and pay for the funeral director’s services included in your plan. As customers often tell us, that can bring peace of mind to you and your family. A plan from Golden Charter also includes an allowance towards third party costs. These are essential, non-funeral director services such as the cremation or burial fees, plus the minister or officiant’s fee to perform the service.
At Robson & Stephens, we work in partnership with Golden Charter to provide you with a simple way to plan ahead. As one of the UK’s largest funeral plan providers[1], Golden Charter has helped over 900,000 people to plan ahead[2], so we’re completely confident in offering their plans to you.
Although a pre-paid funeral plan can cover all of the services above, there are some additional third party costs to consider. These are the costs for essential, non-funeral director services required to carry out a cremation or burial which need to be paid at the time of the funeral. These costs are outside our control. Depending on the plan type chosen, a Golden Charter funeral plan can include a contribution towards some third party costs. They may include:
- Crematorium fee
- Minister or officiant’s fee
- Cemetery fee: the opening of a new or existing grave for burial or interment of cremated remains
Other third party costs that may be associated with a funeral include:
- Purchase of grave or lair
- Hire of church or other venue
- Fees for organist or soloist
- Memorial, such as a headstone, entry in a book of remembrance, or the planting of a tree
- Catering, floral tributes and newspaper announcements
There will only be more to pay at the time of the funeral if the third party costs exceed the allowance when you buy your plan, or if the costs increase by more than the growth of your plan.
However, even if prices rise in the future, you’ll have the reassurance of knowing there’ll be nothing more to pay for our funeral director’s services included in the plan once your plan is fully paid for – guaranteed.
Payment options to suit you
With a Golden Charter funeral plan, you can pay for your plan in several ways. Spread the cost or make a one-off payment – simply choose the one that’s right for you. We will provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision.
The retail price of your funeral plan is representative of the equivalent cost of a funeral today plus an arrangement fee of £325 which is retained by Golden Charter to help cover the costs of setting up your plan.
Your payments are held within the Golden Charter Trust. With almost £1.2 billion under management[3], the Trust is operated by a Board of Trustees, completely independent of Golden Charter. Their role is to hold your payments and ensure that the funeral director services in your plan can be paid for at the time they are required – however far into the future that may be. For more information on how your payments are protected, please visit goldencharter.co.uk/faqs
Ready to take the next step? Get in touch today
As well as the comfort of having a plan in place, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with being able to help save your family from worry and expense in the future. So why not take the next step?
[1] Based on a Golden Charter analysis and independent research of the funeral plan market size as at January 2023.
[2] Correct at October 2023.
[3] Confirmed by Golden Charter Trust’s audited accounts at 31 March 2023.
ROBSON & STEPHENS FUNERAL SERVICES LIMITED is an appointed representative of Golden Charter Limited trading as Golden Charter Funeral Plans which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN:965279).
An Introduction To Golden Charter Funeral Plans
Robson & Stephens are proud to represent and recommend Golden Charter funeral plans and an effective way to manage the future costs of providing a Funeral Service.
A funeral plan is an easy way to arrange the funeral you want in advance. A plan allows you to specify your wishes and pay for the funeral director’s services included in your plan. As our customers often tell us, that can bring peace of mind to you and your family. A plan from Golden Charter also includes an allowance towards third party costs. These are essential, non-funeral director services such as the cremation or burial fees, plus the minister or officiant’s fee to perform the service.
At Robson & Stephens, we work in partnership with Golden Charter to provide you with a safe and reliable way to plan ahead. As one of the UK’s largest funeral plan providers*, Golden Charter has helped 900,000 people make funeral provisions** so we’re completely confident in offering their plans to you.
Everyone has different needs when it comes to funeral planning, so we make sure the plans we offer are as flexible as possible. When you get in touch, we’ll be happy to discuss your funeral requirements and tailor a plan to suit you. Rest assured a plan from Golden Charter is available to all UK residents who are over 18, regardless of age or state of health.
Would you like to know more information about how a Golden Charter funeral plan could work for you? We can provide you with all of the information you need to make an informed decision for you and your family, so get in touch today!
*Based on selling 14% of funeral plans in the UK in 2021
**Correct at April 2022
Robson & Stephens is an appointed representitive of Golden Charter Limited trading as Golden Charter Funeral Plans which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN:965279).
Registered in England No. 02511598 Registered Office: One Fleet Place, London EC4M 7WS.
For further, more detailed information, contact us or visit one of our funeral homes.
REQUEST A CALL BACK
We will call you.
Let’s talk about how we can help you
at a time that suits you best.
SEND A MESSAGE
Do you need more info?
Send us a message about your request
And we will get back to you.
WHO WE HAVE HELPED
OUR LOCATIONS
A Funeral Director You Can Trust - Our Associations
DELIVERING FUNERAL SERVICES IN
- PMinehead
- PSelworthy
- PPorlock
- PCarhampton
- PChezoy
- PNorth Curry
- PBurnham-on-Sea
- PWashford
- PWilliton
- PWatchet
- PBurrow Bridge
- PCurry Rivel
- PDunster
- PDoniford
- PWeddon Cross
- PExford
- PNorth Newton
- PLangport
- PTaunton
- PNorth Petherton
- PWestonzoyland
- PCannington
- PMiddleezoy
- PSomerton
- PBridgwater
- PNether Stowey
- PQuantock Hills
- PStogursy
- POthery
- PEnmore
- PGlastonbury
- PCombwich
- PWoolavington
- PBawdrip
- PMoorland
- PMinehead
- PSelworthy
- PPorlock
- PCarhampton
- PChezoy
- PNorth Curry
- PTaunton
- PNorth Petherton
- PWestonzoyland
- PCannington
- PMiddleezoy
- PSomerton
- PBurnham-on-Sea
- PWashford
- PWilliton
- PWatchet
- PBurrow Bridge
- PCurry Rivel
- PBridgwater
- PNether Stowey
- PQuantock Hills
- PStogursy
- POthery
- PEnmore
- PDunster
- PDoniford
- PWeddon Cross
- PExford
- PNorth Newton
- PLangport
- PGlastonbury
- PCombwich
- PWoolavington
- PBawdrip
- PMoorland
Robson & Stephens have over 30 years experience in providing funeral, cemetery and cremation services for families in Somerset.
You can find us on Park Street in Minehead and on Clare Street in Bridgwater and our doors are always open – no appointment is required during office hours Monday – Friday.
REQUEST A CALL BACK
We will call you.
Let's talk about how we can help you
at a time that suits you best.
SEND A MESSAGE
Do you need more info?
Send us a message about your request
And we will get back to you.