General Meeting: February 2026

Janina from Co-Op Estate Planning spoke clearly and knowledgeably on a topic highly relevant to mostly retired listeners.  However the very nature of the subject meant it was serious and complex. The two main topics centred around Wills and Lasting Power of Attorney.

Writing and executing wills was the first topic and Janina went through the various partnerships and family groupings which would all have a bearing on the writing of a will and how the wishes of the deceased were followed or not.  There were numerous permutations as to what may constitute a partnership and legal advice is nearly always advised. Which partner dies first and what position the second partner may find themselves in may depend on whether there are surviving offspring from, say a previous marriage or indeed if the second partner enters into a new relationship who has themselves children from a previous marriage.

One fact that Janina emphasized was the need for everyone to get a Lasting Power of Attorney set up early before there is the  need for it. Both parts, the health and the finances  are important and save much time and family problems later e.g. no transfers of money can be made after a death without LPA and much more.

Janina took questions at the end of her talk and there was obviously a great deal of interest in the subject.

Marianne White