Is Spelling Going Out of Fashion?

I was reading an article in one of the national newspapers the other day which suggested that bad spelling should now be considered to be a sign of intelligence.

The argument was that autocorrect makes it so difficult to make spelling mistakes these daze that doing so suggests that you have done it deliberately and worked around autocorrect in order to misspell (or is it "mispell" - I can never remember) the word.

The article also suggested that it is rude to put a full stop in a text message. The article pointed out that in the past the purpose of a full stop was to create a pause between different thoughts. The tendency of the younger generation, so I am told, is to limit each text message to one thought, sending a further text for each additional thought, so full stops are therefore redundant for their intended purpose and are seen as a sign of passive aggression.

What all of this shows is that we are living in a fast changing world, which is why it is important to review your legal affairs regularly.

Times change and so does the law.

One area where this is particularly true is Inheritance Tax planning. There have been various changes in recent years with the introduction of rules under which the Inheritance Tax allowance can be transferred between spouses followed by the introduction of a new Inheritance Tax allowance which can be set, in certain circumstances, against the value of your residence. These changes mean that many Wills that people have made in the past to save tax may now be inappropriate and could cost their families money rather than saving it.

It is also likely that for many people their lives will have changed since they made their Will. People meet new partners, children come along, partnerships break down, wealth is inherited and life brings many other changes along the way. These are all good reasons why your Will and your tax affairs should be reviewed regularly.

The message is that in a world where incorrect spelling is the new intelligence it is probably time to review your Will.

In the meantime, I apologise wholeheartedly for any offence caused by the full stops in this article.

This article was written by Mark Jones. Mark is a Partner in our Personal Law Department and is based in Harrogate.

Mark specialises in the creation and administration of trusts, tax planning and wills as well as probate work, particularly those where the family has fallen out and contentious issues have arisen.

You can contact Mark on 01423 502 211 or email directly.