Guides & advice
Estate planning, explained plainly
Practical guides on inheritance tax, wills, powers of attorney, trusts and more. Written for families in the UK, without the jargon.
When should you get a lasting power of attorney? Don't wait until it's an emergency
An LPA must be created while you have mental capacity. Waiting until a health crisis or diagnosis could leave your family with no choice but the costly Court of Protection.
13 June 2026
Selling your business: the tax you need to plan for before you sign anything
Business Asset Disposal Relief can apply a 10% capital gains tax rate to up to £1 million of qualifying gains, but only if the conditions are met before exchange, not after.
11 June 2026
When do you need a trust? The honest answer (spoiler: you might not)
Trusts can be valuable for asset protection and control, but they are not the answer for everyone. Here is when a trust makes sense and when it does not.
11 June 2026
Estate planning for unmarried couples: why a will is even more important
Cohabiting partners have no automatic inheritance rights and cannot claim on each other's pensions. A clear plan is essential to protect each other and children.
9 June 2026
Unmarried and inheritance tax: why your partner could face a 40% bill a married couple would never see
Cohabiting couples get no spouse exemption and no transferable nil-rate band. A married couple in the same situation could pass on up to £1 million tax-free. The honest position.
9 June 2026
Can someone contest a will in the UK? The Inheritance Act 1975 and how to make a will harder to challenge
Most wills are never challenged. The ones that are tend to involve blended families, vulnerable testators, or beneficiaries who feel cut out. Knowing the grounds is part of writing a will that holds up.
9 June 2026
Appointing guardians for your children: who raises them, who controls the money, and what happens if you don't choose
If both parents die without naming guardians, the court decides. A well-drafted will appoints guardians, separates care from money, and uses a trust so the inheritance is not handed to an 18-year-old all at once.
9 June 2026
How long does probate take in the UK? A plain-English guide to timelines, costs and the home you may not be able to sell yet
Probate typically takes six to twelve months. Without a will it takes longer. The wait can be a real problem when most of the estate is tied up in the family home and the bills keep arriving.
9 June 2026
What happens if you lose mental capacity without a lasting power of attorney
Without an LPA, no one (including your spouse) can step in automatically. Bank accounts freeze, care decisions stall, and the family is left applying to the Court of Protection. The cost and time are not subtle.
9 June 2026
The false economy of a cheap will: where £20 will kits go wrong (and when a simple will really is enough)
Cheap wills can work for the simplest estates. They tend to fail in trust drafting, blended families, IHT planning and guardianship. The cost of a flawed will lands on the family, twenty years later.
9 June 2026
Do you actually need a trust? A decision guide, not a sales pitch
Trusts work brilliantly for some families and add cost without benefit for others. A clear test: are these assets you might need to spend yourself, or assets you intend to pass on intact?
9 June 2026
Your will isn't done forever: five life events that quietly leave it out of date
Marriage automatically revokes a will. Divorce leaves gaps. A new child may not be covered. A beneficiary or executor dying first creates problems. The five triggers that mean you should revisit it.
9 June 2026
How much can you put in a trust tax-free? The £325,000 limit, the 20% charge above it, and the 7-year reset
Up to £325,000 in any seven-year period can go into a relevant property trust with no immediate IHT charge. Above that, 20% applies as a lifetime charge. Then come the 10-year periodic and exit charges. The rules in one place.
9 June 2026
Leave 10% to charity and your inheritance tax rate drops from 40% to 36%: how the reduced rate actually works
On a meaningful estate, the 4-point rate cut means a charitable gift can cost the other heirs far less than the headline figure. The mechanics, the will wording that matters, and when this is genuinely worth doing.
9 June 2026
Selling a buy-to-let or second home: what you'll pay in capital gains tax and how to reduce it
CGT on residential property applies at 18% or 24% depending on your income. The annual exemption is now just £3,000. Here is what you can and cannot do to reduce the bill.
4 June 2026
Can a trust protect your home from care home fees?
A trust set up well in advance and for legitimate reasons may provide some protection. But a trust created specifically to avoid care costs is likely to be treated as deliberate deprivation.
28 May 2026
What a family trust actually does (and when it's worth it)
Trusts are not just for the very wealthy. A discretionary trust can protect assets from divorce, creditors, and inheritance tax in ways a straightforward will cannot.
21 May 2026
Setting up a lasting power of attorney for an elderly parent: what families get wrong
The most common mistake families make with an elderly parent's LPA is waiting too long. Here is what you need to know before it becomes urgent.
14 May 2026
How much does a lasting power of attorney cost in the UK?
The OPG registration fee is £92 per LPA, but that is only part of the picture. Here is what you should expect to pay and why.
7 May 2026
Lasting power of attorney: the two types, what they cover, and why waiting is the main risk
An LPA must be set up while you have mental capacity. Once that window closes, your family faces the Court of Protection instead, which is slower, costlier, and more stressful.
30 April 2026
What actually happens to your estate if you die without a will in the UK
Dying without a will means the intestacy rules decide who inherits. Cohabiting partners, unmarried parents, and stepchildren can all be left with nothing.
16 April 2026
Why most people sort their will and lasting power of attorney at the same time
A will and a lasting power of attorney solve different problems. Most people only discover the LPA gap when a parent can no longer make decisions for themselves.
2 April 2026
You probably need a new will. Here is why the one you wrote years ago may not do what you think
Wills go out of date faster than most people realise. Marriage, divorce, new property, and changing family structures can all undermine a will you wrote years ago.
19 March 2026
Gifting money to your family: the 7-year rule and what most people get wrong
Giving money to your children or grandchildren during your lifetime is one of the most effective ways to reduce inheritance tax. But the rules catch many people out.
5 March 2026
The inheritance tax threshold: what it is, what it isn't, and why it keeps catching people out
The nil-rate band has been frozen while house prices have risen, quietly pulling more families into inheritance tax. Here is how the thresholds actually work.
19 February 2026
When do you actually need inheritance tax advice?
Not everyone needs a specialist. But if any of these signs apply to your situation, getting advice early can make a real difference to what your family keeps.
5 February 2026
Five ways to reduce inheritance tax on your estate
Inheritance tax at 40% is one of the most predictable bills your family could face. These five approaches could reduce what they pay.
22 January 2026
Your pension and the 2027 inheritance tax change: what's actually happening
From April 2027, most unused pension pots will fall inside your estate for inheritance tax purposes. Here is what that means for your family.
8 January 2026
Free, no obligation