Hey how’s it going?
It’s been a while since my last blog because I haven’t had a minute to myself. My first seat is now over and the first six months of my training contract spent in employment has now finished. I loved every minute of my time in Employment, from really enjoyed working with all the people to the varied workload.
I have now been in my second seat for a couple of weeks now and Private Client is very different from the usually contentious side of Employment. Again, everyone is really nice although I am sat right next to the head of department who is on holiday this week so next week should be fun as I am sure he will be sick of the sight of my face by the end of next Friday!!
At the minute I am trying to get my head around Wills, Trusts, Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains, which if I master that may actually benefit my own understanding of how HMRC come up with my tax code every year!
Last week I visited the house of a lady who had passed away and sadly she had no close family so the house will now be sold. This was the first time I had had to do anything like this and it struck me how time had stood still in the lady’s house and how incredibly lonely it was growing old unless you had a lot of close family around you. It was apparent it was a real struggle to get by every day and how sparse her little house was and old age is a day to day battle.
Having been here a few weeks now it also surprises me how some of our elderly citizens are careful with their money and have quite a stash put away for a rainy day. But having drafted a couple of wills recently, those rainy days never seem to come along. So I have decided if I live to a ripe old age to enjoy every minute of it as I can and enjoy my savings..if I ever have any by then!
Through my personal straw poll that I undertook I now realise why the elderly save. It is often because they feel they have no choice in case they ever have to go into a care home. With costs like £800 a month that is often more than people’s mortgages so to sell all their assets is often their only way to survive.
From a personal point of view this really annoys me as these hard working people have to sell everything they own to be cared for, yet as a nation our Government seem only too happy to offer handouts to anybody who doesn’t want to work, have never lived here before or to people who have never paid a penny of tax into the system. It really doesn’t seem fair. We neglect our most vulnerable and the only chance they have is for a kind family to care for them.
Anyway, I am hosting a charity quiz night for something else which is close to my heart and that is to raise money for the Honey Rose Foundation, which helps makes wishes come true for adults who are terminally ill. It is in Jamie Carragher’s Café Sports England on Thursday 17th April 2008, starting at about 6.45pm. If you want to come along to “A Question of Sport” and network, have a laugh and raise money for a good cause then please email sportsquizliverpool@live.co.uk, there are loads of prizes and it would be great if you could help raise a few bob for a great cause and enjoy yourself too!!