Northern Home Counties branch met in February to look at issues linked to working with elderly clients. Martin Hill and Ruth Markham from local legal firm Tollers talked delegates through the structure and issues around Powers of Attorney, including the time it takes to register one.

Steve Godfrey, from meeting sponsor Octopus Investments, then looked at inheritance tax problems, including for those clients who have lost capacity and are reliant on a Power of Attorney, a problem clearly highlighted by the Tollers’ team. He also highlighted some potential solutions to these problems.

Finally, Alison Heskeths from Timefinders gave a useful perspective from her business which specialises in helping people move house. Originally targeted at the elderly, it specialises in helping people get ready to move, with things like selling or disposing of items, selling the current property and finding an appropriate new property.

Chris Bowmer CFP^CM, branch chairman summed it up: “All in all a great meeting for those with elderly clients – all of us I think.”