The Referral Partnership Programme
A Structured Referral Partnership for Thames Valley Advisers
Estate and succession planning work regularly identifies clients with active investment management requirements. Trust funding, asset redeployment following an estate reorganisation, liquidity planning around an inheritance tax liability — these are needs that arise naturally from the planning process, and they require the involvement of a capable investment adviser.
​
At the same time, financial advisers working with business owners, high-net-worth individuals, and families with significant pension wealth will increasingly encounter questions that require specialist estate and succession planning input — particularly as the April 2027 pension inheritance tax changes move from a future consideration to an immediate planning priority.
​
We are establishing a small number of structured referral partnerships to address both sides of this dynamic. The arrangement is straightforward: we refer clients with investment management requirements to our partners, and our partners refer clients with estate and succession planning requirements to us.
What the Partnership Involves
Reciprocal Referrals
Where our planning work surfaces a client who requires active investment management, we refer them to our partner firm. Where your client work identifies estate planning, trust, IHT, or succession planning needs, you refer them to us. The referring adviser retains their client relationship throughout.
​
A Sample Chapter
Before committing to the partnership, we will provide a sample chapter from Pension Paradigm so you can assess whether the technical content and approach are appropriate for your client base.
​
Direct Access to Ray L. Best
For complex cases or firm-wide technical questions, founding partners have direct access to Ray to discuss case details and planning strategy.
Who We Are Looking For
We are selective about the firms we work with, because the quality of the referral relationship depends on a genuine alignment of values and client standards on both sides.
​
We are looking for advisory firms that:
​
-
Are based in or primarily serve the Thames Valley region — Reading, Oxford, Newbury, Windsor, and the surrounding area.
​​
-
Take an active, considered approach to portfolio management and can clearly articulate their investment proposition.
​​
-
Work with clients who have meaningful estate planning requirements — business owners, high-net-worth individuals, or families with pension wealth above the threshold at which the 2027 changes become material.
​​
-
Are willing to enter a formal, documented referral arrangement with agreed terms on both sides.
​​
We are not looking for a high volume of loosely connected referral relationships. We are looking for a small number of partnerships built on mutual confidence and a shared standard of client care.
How to Apply
We are currently establishing up to five founding partnerships. If you believe your firm meets the criteria above and you would like to explore whether this arrangement is appropriate, please do get in touch. We will arrange an initial conversation with Ray L. Best to discuss your practice, your client base, and how a referral relationship might work in practice.
​
There is no cost and no obligation attached to that initial conversation.