Wills and estate planning

Prepare for the best – and the worst

When you die without a will (known as dying intestate) your loved ones may run into inheritance tax wrangles, family politics and various issues they probably won’t be in a mindset to manage. And leaving an out-of-date will could mean your assets won’t go where you want them to.

If you’re thinking about retirement and safeguarding wealth for your family’s future, work with us to write a will that’s flexible enough to deal with changes in circumstance. Then you can feel confident your wishes will be met. We can work with your existing lawyers to advise on the financial elements of your will, or we can recommend one of the trusted lawyers in our network to help support you.

Estate planning for life

It’s never too early to think about a lifelong plan to protect your future and that of your loved ones and dependents. Speak to us about practical tax planning and how to prepare for future challenges. We can advise on everything from your individual wealth to the family as a whole, including the provisions and opportunities available to those who are non-UK domiciled.

To start off, we’ll look at your position as it stands, which will give us an indication of your inheritance tax exposure without any tax planning. For this we would need a list of your assets and their current values. We can also provide business valuation services if required.

We can then explore your estate planning options, including:

• Inheritance tax (IHT) planning - the use of tax exemptions and lifetime gifting, to minimise your IHT exposure.
• Succession planning – who gets what and when, to ensure your wishes are met.
• Using onshore and offshore trusts – making, varying and breaking them.
• Residential and non-residential property/real estate - how to pass this on tax efficiently.
• Investment portfolios – review any potential specific tax exemptions that may be available.
• Establishing if you’re eligible to relief from IHT through Business Property Relief, if you own a business or an interest in a business, 
• Your inheritance – planning in respect of any assets that you have inherited and considering the use of deeds of variation. 

If you work with other professional advisors, we can align our service with theirs so you always see the big picture. And should you need more detailed business, investment or pension advice, we’re at your service.

For professional wills and estate planning advice tailored to your unique circumstances, please fill out the form below and one of our experts will be in touch to discuss your requirements and how we can help.