Intergenerational Wealth Management

Futureproofing your wealth – the importance of estate planning

Passing on your wealth to future generations is one of the most rewarding things you can do. The assets you pass on could help your children, or grandchildren, buy homes, get a great education, or set up their own business. The key is to ensure that your plan ring-fences as much as you can in order to mitigate the amount of Inheritance Tax or IHT you will need to pay.

Inheritance Tax used to be something that applied only to wealthier individuals, today it’s an everybody issue. You may be liable for up to 40% Inheritance Tax on your assets, but only after an allowance known as the Nil Rate Band or NRB has been applied. The NRB is good news. It is currently set at £325,000. As the Nil Rate Band can transfer across to the surviving partner of marriages and registered civil partnerships, you could end up with a tax-free allowance of up to £650,000 if your estate meets the right criteria. If you leave your main residence to direct descendants, you may also benefit from a residential nil-rate band of £175,000 each.

Here are three practical things you can do right now to help safe guard your wealth:

• Make sure your financial affairs, and your Will, are set up to allow the tax- efficient transfer of your assets when you die.
• Start transferring assets before your death through the prudent use of lifetime gifts.
• Create a tax-efficient fund to provide a legacy or to help your beneficiaries pay any Inheritance Tax due.
• Carefully consider who you ask to be a trustee – it’s often better to pay a professional trustee to manage the administration of your estate in order to protect your beneficiaries and ensure that your assets are not distributed to the wrong people.

Building your wealth takes enterprise, vision, hard work and an occasional lucky break. So, it’s no surprise that protecting that wealth also takes foresight and expert trust and estate planning.

The value of an investment with St. James's Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

The levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time. The value of any tax relief depends on individual circumstances.

Advice relating to a Will involves the referral to a service that is separate and distinct to those offered by St. James's Place. Wills and Trusts are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Helping loved ones onto the property ladder.

Younger people face an uphill battle to afford their first home. Many 30-somethings are still renting or living at home. Consequently, an increasing number of parents and grandparents are stepping in to help children get onto the property ladder.

There are a number of ways to do this:

• Gifting
• Providing loans
• Offering to be a guarantor on a mortgage

There are lots of way to help and most have the dual advantage of helping with effective estate planning. However, you should always seek advice when considering which option to take to ensure that no unexpected tax liabilities result from this act of generosity.

Our team of advisors can help you decide which route is best for you and can advise on how it will impact your estate.

The home on which the mortgage is secured may be repossessed if payments are not kept up to date.

The levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time. The value of any tax relief depends on individual circumstances.

Intergenerational Protection

Intergenerational insurance policies ensure that everyone in the family is covered.

Family Healthcare Plan

In conjunction with Western Provident Association, St. James's Place have developed an exclusive, generation-spanning, Family Healthcare Plan. The plan helps to protect your health and – if needed – the health of your whole (extended) family. Delivering the kind of peace of Mind we desire as we age.

Family Insurance Plan

The Family Insurance Plan, provided in conjunction with Gallagher, is one of the only   intergenerational general insurance policies that covers the entire family. Offering comprehensive cover designed to cover the majority, if not all, of your general insurance requirements.

We’d love to talk to you about how our intergenerational policies can help you protect your entire family.

Please note these services involve the referral to a service that is separate and distinct to those offered by St. James's Place.

Investing for your children's future

Starting an investment plan for your children from a young age has a lot of advantages. Even modest amounts invested, on a regular basis, benefit from the effects of compounding. A little and often also  reduces the risk of investing more significant amounts at the wrong time or during periods of market volatility.

By the time your child reaches 18, they might have a substantial fund in place to assist with university and life, or a generous pot of cash for a deposit on their first home.

Of course, from an estate planning perspective, using gifting allowances to fund investments – currently, a lump sum of up to £3,000 per year, and unlimited gifts of £250 per year – parents and grandparents, or anyone can benefit from the transfer of wealth without incurring Inheritance Tax penalties.

The use of gifts and Trusts* are best understood in the context of your own personal circumstances. If you want to know more about how they can help with your estate planning needs, please contact us.

Disclaimer

The value of an investment with St. James's Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise. You may get back less than the amount invested.

The levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time and are dependent on individual circumstances.

*Trusts are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.