My goal; securing my legacy
We can help develop an all-encompassing estate plan and multi-jurisdictional will
When you have spent a lifetime building a business or growing your assets, we understand you want their transition to your loved ones to be managed properly.
However, developing an all-encompassing estate plan and an international will can feel like a daunting task.
We can help.
Sound advice. Well thought through and without any catches. Would recommend Jamie Bubb-Sacklyn at Melbourne Capital Group for anybody seeking advice on U.K. Inheritance Tax.
We listen to build a complete picture of your individual circumstances, wealth and beneficiaries.
If you hold assets internationally, are an expat or have lived abroad, there are likely to be complexities when it comes to estate planning. As specialists, we work to identify and mitigate these.
We put together a team of banking, legal and accounting experts that we work in partnership with to develop an all-encompassing international estate plan.
We offer guidance on multi-generational financial solutions to protect for your assets and preserve your wealth, allowing you to pass it on to your loved ones.
We work alongside other specialists to provide you with an all-encompassing estate plan and international will.
By helping you get a properly drawn up multi-jurisdictional will, we make sure you are protected against complex legal issues that can arise if assets are owned internationally or if you wish to make international bequeathments.
If you want to leave some or all of your estate to charity or set up a scholarship programme or foundation, we can help make the appropriate arrangements.
Trusts can be a good supplement to a will as they allow you to be specific in how you want your wealth distributed, they are also private, generally avoid probate and may be more tax efficient. We can help you decide whether a trust is right for you and establish one accordingly.
If you hold assets in different jurisdictions there may be various tax and legal complications, we specialise in negotiating and mitigating these, to ensure a smooth transition of assets to your beneficiaries.
Estate planning is a comprehensive plan for managing your legacy. It allows you to document your wishes on how to preserve, manage, and distribute your wealth in the event of your death or incapacitation. Proper estate planning helps to preserve your wealth, enabling you to pass it on to your loved ones.
The main difference between will planning and estate planning is that a will outlines the distribution of your assets upon your passing, while estate planning covers how your assets and wealth will be managed both while you’re alive and after you pass. Read our detailed article here
Your estate is your net worth. It includes everything from property, cars, stocks, pensions, artwork, life insurance and even debt.
There can be legal and tax complications when it comes to estate planning if your country of citizenship differs from where you reside. For instance, you may need multiple wills, including a multi-jurisdictional will. You may also benefit from an international will. Your loved ones may also be liable to pay inheritance tax in the country where you are from originally. The best way to ensure compliance and secure peace of mind is to seek professional advice.
Mitigating inheritance tax is crucial aspect of estate planning. It is important to utilise any tax planning strategies available to minimise the tax burden on your beneficiaries and preserve your hard-earned assets. This may be achieved any number of ways, from establishing trusts to gifting your assets. How best to restructure your wealth to reduce your tax burden will ultimately depend on your personal circumstances.
Having a will is a vital first step to a comprehensive estate plan. It should be properly executed with witnesses and notarisation to establish authenticity and validity. You should also be as specific as possible about how you want your assets shared. If you are an expat or hold assets internationally, you may also require an multi-jurisdictional will.
Your estate plan should also involve naming a guardian for any dependents, adding or changing the beneficiaries for your life insurance and appointing an executor and a durable power of attorney. Your estate plan should also involve restructuring your wealth to ease the transition of assets to your beneficiaries.
It is likely you will face a range of legal and tax complications if you hold assets across multiple jurisdictions, making an multi-jurisdictional will a must-have. Furthermore, as different countries have different inheritance tax regulations and gifting thresholds, an important part of your estate planning would involve understanding these and restructuring your wealth accordingly to mitigate the tax burden on your beneficiaries. Given these complications, it is advisable you seek professional guidance.
An affective estate plan should be reviewed and amended regularly to ensure it remains in line with your wishes and accurately reflects your evolving estate. As a part of our estate planning service, we would base regularly with you to ensure your estate plan continues to be fit for purpose.
Trusts hold and own assets on behalf of a beneficiary. They can be a useful tool enabling you to outline exactly how and when assets are passed on. They also generally avoid the need for probate therefore allow the efficient passing of assets. Certain trusts can therefore be used to minimise the impact of death taxes in certain jurisdictions.
There are two main types of trust. A revocable trust can be changed at any time by the guarantor during their lifetime, so long as they are competent. An irrevocable trust usually cannot be changed without a court order or the approval of all the trust’s beneficiaries. Which trust best suits you, will depend on your personal circumstances.
Where you are domiciled will have serious implications when it comes to inheritance tax. The terms ‘domicile’ and ‘residence’ are terms often interchanged and mistaken as meaning the same thing, but the two have very different definitions and implications.
Broadly speaking, ‘domicile’ is your ‘permanent home’ so usually it’s where you are from and hold citizenship. Meanwhile ‘residence’ is where you live. For instance, you may live in Malaysia but be from the U.K. and hold U.K. citizenship. In this instance, your ‘residence’ would be Malaysia, making you liable to income taxes in Malaysia. However, the U.K. remains as your ‘domicile’ and as such your estate on death will be taxable in the U.K.
No. There are many ways to minimise your tax liability legally, such as using trusts and gifting.
View our UK Inheritance Tax playlist.