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Guides

Each guide here covers a main area of estate planning in depth — written to give you a proper understanding of the subject, not just a summary. They're designed to be read at your own pace, as and when something becomes relevant to you. Most link through to help sheets on specific documents as they come up, so you can go as deep as you need to on any particular topic.

If you're not sure where to start, the Guide to Estate Planning is the natural first step — it covers the whole picture before anything else.

Estate Planning Guides

  • The full overview — what estate planning is, why it matters, and how the different tools fit together. The right place to start if you're new to this, or if you want to understand how everything connects.

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  • A thorough walk through Will planning — what a Will does, the different types available, and how to think about which is right for your circumstances.

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  • Covering both Will trusts and lifetime trusts — how they work, what they protect against, and the different structures available.

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  • Everything you need to understand about LPAs — the two types, who's involved, why timing matters, and what happens without one.

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  • A plain-English explanation of how IHT works, what your allowances are, and the planning tools available to reduce your estate's exposure.

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  • Understanding care assessments, financial thresholds, and how planning ahead changes the options available to you and your family.

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  • What happens when someone dies — the executor's role, when probate is needed, and how to make the process as straightforward as possible for the people you leave behind.

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  • How different planning tools protect assets from divorce, creditors, care fees, and remarriage — and why protection during your lifetime is different from protection through a Will.

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  • Planning for what happens to a business on death or incapacity — Business Relief, the role of a Will, shareholder agreements, and how to ensure the business can continue without disruption.

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  • What happens to online accounts, cryptocurrency, digital files, and subscriptions when someone dies — and how to plan for them before it becomes someone else's problem.

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  • Pensions currently (as of 2026) sit outside the estate for IHT purposes — but the rules are changing. Understanding how pensions interact with estate planning is increasingly important for anyone with significant pension wealth.

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  • What happens when someone dies without a Will — who inherits, in what order, and what the rules mean for unmarried partners, stepchildren, and blended families.

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  • A deeper look at the financial planning tools available to protect assets before care becomes a reality — and why acting early makes all the difference.

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  • A practical, compassionate guide to the immediate steps after a death — what to do first, who to notify, how to find the Will, and what the weeks ahead are likely to involve.

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  • When and why to review your planning — the life events that should prompt a review, what to check, and how to make sure everything stays current as circumstances change.

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Role Guides

These guides are for people who have been appointed to — or have inherited — a specific role. Being asked to act as an executor, trustee, attorney, or beneficiary is a privilege, but it comes with real responsibilities. These guides explain what's involved, what's expected, and where to get help when you need it.

  • What the role involves, what you're legally responsible for, the steps you need to take, and when to ask for professional help.

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  • Understanding your duties, your responsibilities to beneficiaries, how to make decisions, and what good trusteeship looks like in practice.

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  • What the role means in practice, the legal responsibility you take on for a child's upbringing and welfare, and how to approach the role if the time ever comes.

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  • What it means to be a beneficiary — of a Will, a trust, or an LPA arrangement — what you're entitled to know, and what to do if something doesn't seem right.

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  • What your authority covers, how to use it properly, the principles you must follow, and how to protect both yourself and the person you're acting for.

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