Estate planning is more than just reducing your inheritance tax liability; it is ensuring that you are able to live a full and enjoyable lifestyle, whilst also providing for your family and the generations beyond.
Estate planning never involves a one-stop fix all approach; it requires a well thought out personalised strategy. We recently finalised over three years of planning with a client that will significantly reduce his long-term inheritance tax liability. That’s the glamorous end result, however it began with much humbler beginnings; our starting point, as with all our planning, was the client’s cash flow analysis and meaningful discussions around what was important to him. The cash flow demonstrated, amongst a range of other planning areas, that he had an inheritance tax liability that was not only sizeable now, but likely to grow into the future. Our cash flow not only highlighted the issue but also allowed us to test the impact of a range of different strategies, making sure we never tipped the balance of impacting our client’s lifetime needs.
Using a combination of the available gift exemptions, two trusts and an AIM ISA portfolio we were able to make a real impact not only to the long term inheritance tax liability but also the life of the client’s family. He was able to confidently assist with house purchases, private education and long-term savings with the peace of mind that he was secure for life.