Death Planning Blog: Guides, Updates and Plain-English Advice
Here you'll find a selection of my blogs, where I dig into the bits of death planning that deserve more than a paragraph on a guide page. Some of these started life as newsletters; others came from questions readers have asked me, or from something in the news that seemed worth explaining properly.
Expect plain English on wills, probate, inheritance tax, powers of attorney and the practical business of getting your affairs in order. Expect the occasional bad joke, too. I write these because the information that helped me most after my father died was the stuff written by people who'd actually been through it, rather than by a firm trying to sell me something.
If you'd like my most up-to-date thoughts, including changes in legislation, delivered to you rather than hunted down, do sign up to my newsletter.
What Happens If You Die Without a Will?
Intestacy rules in England and Wales decide who inherits when there's no will, and the answer is rarely what people expect.
Power of Attorney: The Most Important Document You're Probably Ignoring
Why an LPA matters more than your will, and what happens to your affairs if you lose capacity without one.
Bequeathments: Who Gets Your Stuff When You're Gone?
Specific gifts, cash legacies and residuary estate explained, and how to word them so there's no argument later.
Gifting to Children and Grandchildren: How to Cut Your Inheritance Tax Bill
The seven-year rule, annual exemptions and gifting from surplus income, and how to use them properly.
“If you die in an elevator, be sure to push the UP button.”
Sam Levenson
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About the founder. I'm Alex Johnson, and I built Not So Grave after my father died suddenly in 2023. Going through his estate taught me more about death planning than any guide I could find at the time, partly because of the documents he'd left, and partly because of the gaps where he hadn't. I'm not a solicitor or a financial adviser, and I'll always tell you when to use one. What I am is someone who's been through it and wants to make your turn easier.