Common questions about estate planning

Fixed fees agreed up front, with no commissions and no surprises. You'll know the price before anything starts.

Your estate is distributed under the intestacy rules, which follow a fixed legal order, not your wishes. An unmarried partner may inherit nothing, regardless of how long you were together, and the outcome for blended families is often not what people expect. A will lets you decide who inherits, appoint guardians for children, and make the whole process far simpler for those you leave behind.

It is a no-obligation conversation to understand your estate, your family and what you want to achieve. The specialist will give you an initial sense of your likely IHT exposure and whether planning is worthwhile for you, then a clear fixed-fee quote if you choose to go further. There is no commission and no pressure to proceed.

We quote a fixed fee agreed before any work begins, so there are no surprises and no hourly meter running. We're paid for advice, not commission, so there is no incentive to sell you products you do not need. Your first conversation is a no-obligation review, and if a trust is not right for you we'll say so.

We're an estate planning firm. Our own team handles your will, LPAs and the planning. Wills, LPAs and trusts are not regulated by the FCA.

We're an estate planning firm. Our own team handles your will, LPAs and planning, gives you a fixed-fee quote upfront, and is accountable for the work. Wills, LPAs and trusts are not regulated by the FCA. You're free to walk away after the initial review with no obligation.

IHT is charged at 40% on the value of your estate above your available allowances. Each person has a £325,000 nil-rate band, frozen until April 2030, plus a residence nil-rate band of up to £175,000 when a main home passes to direct descendants (this tapers away for estates over £2,000,000). A married couple or civil partners can typically combine these to pass on up to £1,000,000. Our team can calculate your specific position, the figure is always plan-dependent, never fixed.

Until now, most unused pension funds have usually sat outside your estate for IHT. From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits are expected to be included in the value of your estate. For many families with a property and a pension, this could be the single biggest reason to review their plan now rather than later, because it may pull an estate into the 40% band that previously sat below it.

It can, when done correctly. You can give away £3,000 each tax year under the annual exemption, and larger gifts are usually free of IHT if you survive seven years (the potentially exempt transfer rule), with taper relief reducing the tax between years three and seven. Any benefit is plan-dependent, gifting needs to fit your wider plan and your own financial security, so our team will look at it in the round rather than in isolation.

Most unused pension funds and death benefits will be counted inside your estate for inheritance tax, pulling many more families into a 40% charge.

From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits are expected to be included in the value of your estate for Inheritance Tax. Until now these have usually sat outside the estate, which is why pensions have often been used to pass wealth on tax-efficiently. The change is expected to pull many more families, including a good number, into IHT or into a higher bill, so it is worth reviewing how your pensions fit your overall plan well before the date.

Each person has a nil-rate band of £325,000, frozen until April 2030. On top of that, a residence nil-rate band of up to £175,000 can apply when a main home passes to direct descendants such as children or grandchildren. Because unused allowances can pass between spouses and civil partners, a couple can potentially pass on up to £1,000,000 in total. Anything above the available thresholds is generally taxed at 40%. The residence nil-rate band tapers away for estates over £2,000,000.

Many people don't, and a good specialist will tell you so. But trusts can be genuinely valuable in the right circumstances: protecting assets from a beneficiary's divorce or creditors, providing for a vulnerable or young beneficiary, or controlling when an inheritance is received. Some trusts have their own tax treatment, such as the relevant property regime, so they should only be used where the benefit clearly outweighs the cost and complexity.

Trusts can be useful for protecting assets from divorce or creditors, providing for young or vulnerable beneficiaries, and controlling when and how an inheritance is received. Some trusts have their own tax treatment, such as the relevant property regime, so they are not automatically the right answer for everyone. Our team will only suggest a trust where it genuinely fits your goals and explain the cost and tax position clearly first.

Keep an inheritance in your bloodline, protect it from divorce or creditors, provide for a vulnerable relative, and control when money is released.

A trust is a legal arrangement where you (the settlor) hand assets to people you choose (the trustees) to look after for the people you want to benefit (the beneficiaries). It lets you separate control of an asset from the enjoyment of it, so you can decide when, how and to whom money is released rather than leaving it outright. That control is what makes trusts useful for protecting young, vulnerable or at-risk beneficiaries.

It can help. If an inheritance passes outright, it generally becomes your child's own asset and can be exposed in a divorce settlement or to creditors. Holding it in a properly structured trust can keep it ring-fenced for their benefit while reducing that exposure. No structure is absolute, and the courts retain discretion, so our team will explain realistically what protection a given trust can and cannot offer.

Almost always, yes. Trusts and wills do different jobs and usually work together. Without a will, intestacy rules decide who inherits, which may not match your wishes and can complicate any trust planning. Most plans also include both types of Lasting Power of Attorney, for property and financial affairs and for health and welfare, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.

A will only takes effect after death. A Lasting Power of Attorney protects you while you're alive but unable to manage your own affairs, through illness, an accident or age. There are two types: property & financial affairs, and health & welfare. Both are registered with the Office of the Public Guardian. Without one, your family may have to apply to the Court of Protection, which is slower, costlier and stressful at an already difficult time.

Yes. Dying without a will means the intestacy rules decide who inherits, which may not match your wishes and can increase the tax bill. A well-drafted will is also what lets your estate use the residence nil-rate band properly. Separately, two types of Lasting Power of Attorney, one for property and financial affairs and one for health and welfare, let people you trust act for you if you lose capacity. They must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, so it is worth doing in good time.

A template will is cheaper upfront, but it typically captures only who inherits, not how to shelter assets, plan for tax, or protect a vulnerable or young beneficiary. Trusts that are drafted but never correctly funded often fail to work as intended. A fixed-fee specialist makes sure the structure is right and actually does what you need, which is usually far less costly than getting it wrong.

No. Everything is handled remotely by video and secure e-signing, convenient whether you're at home or away.

Estate planning law is the same across England and Wales, but local property values matter a great deal to your IHT position, and many people prefer our team who understands their area. We match you with someone suited to your circumstances, with the option of meeting locally or reviewing things remotely, whichever suits you.

It depends entirely on your estate and circumstances. For larger estates, mitigations around gifting, trusts and allowances can be very worthwhile. Our team will model your actual position before you commit.

Remotely, by our own team. A review, a clear plan, and fixed fees agreed up front.

Wills, LPAs and trusts are not regulated by the FCA, and nothing here is personal financial or legal advice. Any figures you see here are illustrative and educational. Your actual plan and any numbers would come from our team after reviewing your full circumstances, and nothing here is promised as a guaranteed saving or outcome.

Generally, the earlier the better. Several of the most effective tools, particularly lifetime gifting under the 7-year rule, work best with time on your side, and the 6 April 2027 pension change adds a clear reason not to wait. Planning earlier also means decisions are made calmly rather than under pressure. If you are 50 or older with a property and pensions, a review now is rarely wasted.