Advising on intestacy: How to best help the one left behind

It is not uncommon for a client to die intestate and, under current rules, this can produce an income for a surviving spouse. They may prefer a lump sum rather than, what could be, a small regular income. So, what can the surviving spouse do about it? An adviser recently asked us about a client whose wife had died intestate. The client was aged 57 and lived in Malvern. Under the intestacy rules, the husband and their two children shared the estate. She left an estate worth £450,000 plus personal effects. The husband was entitled to £250,000 plus the personal effects, along with a life...