Course description

Would the people you love know what to do if you couldn't make your own decisions, or after your death? This course explains, in plain words, how to plan ahead with a lasting power of attorney and a will, so the right people can act for you and your wishes are known. It's just as useful if you're helping an older parent or relative to plan.

It mainly covers the law in England and Wales, with short notes on Scotland and Northern Ireland. You learn what lasting powers of attorney are and how mental capacity works, how to choose attorneys, how to make and register an LPA, what attorneys must and mustn't do, how to report a concern, what advance decisions and advance statements are, what a will does and how to make a valid one, when to get professional advice, Inheritance Tax and probate in general terms, your digital life, and how to talk to your family. You finish by preparing a planning pack for a made-up person and comparing it with a worked model answer.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with a worked example, common slips, questions people often ask and a short exercise to try, and each section ends with a short quiz. You follow Ibolya, who lives in Lincoln, as she helps her mother, Eniko, make lasting powers of attorney, then finds that her own old will was cancelled by her marriage. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, example answers, a cheat sheet and worked examples, plus practical extras: a planning checklist, a choosing attorneys worksheet, an LPA steps checklist pointing to the official forms and pages, an attorney duties card, a will planning worksheet, an assets and documents list spreadsheet, a digital assets list, a when to get advice card, a family conversation guide, sorting sheets with answer keys and a course glossary.

What you'll learn

• Why plan ahead: what can happen when there are no plans, the main documents in plain words, how the law differs across the UK, and your own planning checklist.
• Lasting powers of attorney and mental capacity: what an LPA is, the property and financial affairs and health and welfare types, mental capacity in plain terms, and deputies and the Court of Protection.
• Choosing your attorneys: who can be an attorney, how attorneys make decisions together, replacement attorneys, and the difference between preferences and instructions.
• Making and registering an LPA: certificate providers, witnesses and people to notify, the forms and the order of signing, registering, fees and timings, avoiding mistakes and using a registered LPA.
• Being an attorney: what attorneys must and mustn't do, gifts, making decisions for the person's benefit, keeping records, and changing or ending an LPA.
• Protecting people and recording care wishes: warning signs that an attorney may be misusing their role, how to report a concern, advance decisions and advance statements.
• Wills: the essentials: what a will does and what happens without one, choosing executors and guardians, specific gifts, the residue and planning your will.
• Making a valid will and keeping it current: signing and witnessing, when to get advice, storing your will, codicils and new wills, marriage and divorce, and regular reviews.
• Inheritance Tax, probate and digital life: Inheritance Tax and lifetime gifts in general terms, probate and what executors do, digital assets, and your assets and documents list.
• Family conversations and your final project: talking to your family, helping an older parent plan with respect, keeping documents safe, then a planning pack for a made-up person with a worked model answer.

Who it's for

Adults who want to plan ahead for themselves and their family, and people helping an older parent or relative to plan. You don't need any legal knowledge. A notebook is all you need.

What this course is, and isn't

This course gives general education about planning ahead. It isn't legal, financial or tax advice, it can't tell you what's right for your own situation, and you won't fill in any legal form during the course. It explains when to get advice from a solicitor or another regulated professional, and it doesn't recommend any firm, will writer or product. Legal facts, fees and timings were read on GOV.UK, Office of the Public Guardian and NHS pages on 3 November 2026, and they can change, so check the official pages before you act. Ibolya, Eniko and every other person in the course are fictional.

What will I learn?

• Explain in plain words what lasting powers of attorney, wills, advance decisions and advance statements do, and how they fit together
• Describe the two types of LPA and the Mental Capacity Act's principles in plain terms
• Choose attorneys and replacement attorneys, and decide how they should make decisions
• Follow the steps to make and register an LPA in England and Wales, using the official forms and pages
• Understand what attorneys must and mustn't do, and how to report a concern about an attorney
• Plan a will, including executors, guardians for children, specific gifts and the residue
• Know the legal requirements for a valid will and when to review or change it
• Recognise when to get advice from a solicitor or another regulated professional
• Understand Inheritance Tax, lifetime gifts and probate in general terms, and list your assets and digital accounts
• Talk to your family about your plans and keep your documents safe and up to date

Frequently asked questions