IHT and estate planning

How will you make sure those you’re close to are provided for after you’re gone? 

Few of us like to think about dying but, equally, it’s not pleasant to think of your hard-earned wealth ending up in HMRC’s coffers in the form of inheritance tax.

The legislation that governs passing on your estate obliges you to plan well in advance – years ahead, in fact. Since none of us knows when we’re going to die, the safest approach is to start taking the appropriate steps now. Not tomorrow, or next week, but today.

The earlier you make arrangements, the greater your chance of taking full advantage of the tax opportunities available. It’s about maximising the amount that goes to your beneficiaries and controlling the amount that gets swallowed up in what are sometimes bluntly called ‘death taxes’.

At the same time, it’s important when planning to transfer your estate in life that you make sure you and your spouse or partner are looked after in your later years.

Getting the balance right calls for considerable skill and foresight – and a detailed knowledge of the tax regime.

We provide a discreet estate planning service that includes:

• Help with drawing up and reviewing your will
• Advice on exemptions, lower tax rates and lifetime transfers
• Optimising lifetime transfers between spouses
• Transferring agricultural or business property
• Transferring assets into trust
• Life assurance to cover potential inheritance tax liabilities