Staying up to date

As Trainspotting 2 (T2) – the sequel to the 1996 blockbuster film Trainspotting – hit cinema screens at the end of January, a new generation were introduced to a world of drugs and addictions. As fans of the original film will remember the opening lines were “Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. …Choose your future. Choose life…” But why would I want to do a thing like that?

The new film is set 20 years later and with the original cast in their original roles. Despite the structure therefore being the same, it was important for the director to update it. Accordingly, the new monologue refers to social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as other recent hot topics such as zero-hour contracts and reality TV. As a result the film is more relevant to a modern audience.

Choice, a common theme in both films, means that you have a choice whether to keep your affairs in order and up to date. The Trainspotting characters choose to ignore the future and possible problems they might have, and to live life for the moment. But what should you do?

Choose a Will – Many people make New Year’s resolutions and use January to review their Will, and to consider whether any changes are necessary. Are there any additional beneficiaries who should be included, or have some beneficiaries passed away? Have their finances improved, so that they can leave larger cash legacies, or give money to charity, or have their savings been used up and therefore certain legacies need to be reduced or removed altogether?

Choose an attorney – is it time for you to have a Lasting Power of Attorney, enabling someone to help you make decisions when you are unable to? If you already have a power of attorney, are the attorneys still suitable?

Choose a care home – For those in a care home who need their finances or needs to be reassessed, for care home suitability or funding, what factors now need to be taken into account, which were not taken into account before? Is the current care-home still suitable for their needs, or have those needs changed?Are they now more reliant on that particular care-home, than they were before moving there? The assessment will help determine what care they will receive in the future as well as who will fund it, and it is important for all material factors to be included and considered.

For advice on any of these issues, please get in touch with Charles Fraser in our Private Client team.

Please note the contents of this blog are given for information only and must not be relied upon. Legal advice should always be sought in relation to specific circumstances.