Estate Planning & IHT

As you approach later life, thoughts inevitably turn to making provisions for your children and grandchildren with the wealth and assets you will one day leave behind. One of the key concerns people have around estate planning is how to avoid burdening beneficiaries with unnecessary Inheritance Tax (IHT) bills.

Balanced by the need to maintain your own financial stability throughout retirement, IHT liabilities can be reduced by transferring wealth to loved ones during your lifetime. A combination of gifts and trusts provide legitimate vehicles to this end, while investment planning and life assurance can be used to further lower or offset tax costs.

Our experienced professional team of financial advisers will help you understand the rules and quota limits relating to gifts and trusts, the best ways to organise investments from a tax perspective, and how whole life insurance policies can be used to generate capital sums that cover IHT owed on estates.

The starting point for our estate planning strategies is always your wishes – how you want your estate to be managed, who you want the beneficiaries to be, and what you want the outcome to be in material terms. Guided by you, our specialists will put the plans in place to ensure your wishes are honoured.

Estate planning services summary

• Trust Planning & Solutions. Trusts offer a means of transferring wealth during your lifetime and protecting assets from IHT liabilities. Find out more here about how we can advise on the different types of trust available, and help trustees meet their legal obligations.
• Financial Investment Advice. Certain investments become exempt from IHT after a specified period of time. Read more about which investments offer the best options as part of your estate planning strategy.
• Whole Life Insurance. In the case of illiquid assets, such as property, appropriate life policies in trust can generate payouts which offset the IHT liability on your estate. Learn more here.
• Wills & Powers of Attorney. We do not provide a will writing service, but we can offer specialist advice on the role of wills and powers of attorney in estate planning and management, as explained further here.
• Bereavement advice. If you have suffered a recent family bereavement, we can help you through the often challenging process of obtaining a grant of probate.