Intergenerational Wealth Transfer
Passing Wealth to the Next Generation, With Control and Confidence
Building wealth is one achievement. Passing it on — to the right people, at the right time, protected from unnecessary tax, conflict and risk — is another matter entirely. For many families, the most valuable tool for doing so well is the trust.
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A trust allows assets to be held by trustees for the benefit of the people you choose, on terms you set. Used properly, trusts are not about secrecy or aggressive tax avoidance. They are about control, protection and flexibility — ensuring wealth reaches your children and grandchildren in a way that genuinely serves them, rather than simply landing in their laps at the wrong moment, or being exposed to risks you never intended.
Why Families Use Trusts
Outright gifts are simple, but once given, they're gone — beyond your influence and exposed to whatever happens in the recipient's life. A trust lets you pass wealth on while retaining a considered degree of control over how and when it is used. Families typically turn to trusts to:
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Protect Vulnerable or Young Beneficiaries — providing for children, grandchildren or a relative who couldn't manage a large inheritance directly.
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Preserve Assets Across Generations — keeping wealth within the bloodline through divorce, remarriage or a beneficiary's financial difficulty.
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Plan for Blended Families — providing for a current spouse while protecting an inheritance for children from an earlier relationship.
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Provide Liquidity at the Right Moment — for example, life policies written into trust, which can pay out quickly and outside the estate.
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Support Succession — holding business interests or qualifying assets to ease their transfer to the next generation.
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Give to Good Causes — through charitable trusts, with their associated tax advantages.
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The right structure depends entirely on your circumstances and goals — which is why trust planning should never be off-the-shelf.
The Trusts Families Most Commonly Consider
There is no single "best" trust; each is suited to a particular purpose. The arrangements we most often help families explore include:
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Discretionary Trusts — maximum flexibility, with trustees deciding how benefits are distributed among a class of beneficiaries.
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Interest in Possession Trusts — giving a beneficiary the right to income or use of an asset, often used in blended-family planning.
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Asset Preservation and Family Trusts — focused on keeping wealth protected and within the family over time.
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Life Policy and Relevant Life Trusts — ensuring insurance proceeds reach the right people, quickly and outside the estate.
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Nil-Rate Band Trusts — making structured use of available inheritance tax allowances.
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Trusts for Minors and Grandchildren — providing for the youngest generation with appropriate safeguards.
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Trusts for Vulnerable Beneficiaries — offering protection alongside potential tax advantages.
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Business Protection Trusts — supporting the orderly succession of business interests.
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Explore each in detail in our trust guides below.
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An Honest Word on Trusts and Care Fees
Trusts are sometimes marketed as a simple way to shield the family home from care-fee assessments. The reality is more nuanced. Transfers made primarily to avoid care fees can be challenged by local authorities as "deliberate deprivation of assets", and poorly structured arrangements can create more problems than they solve — including unexpected tax charges and loss of control.
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We take a measured, compliant approach. Where a trust genuinely fits your wider planning, we'll explain exactly what it can and cannot do — and we'll always tell you honestly when an arrangement isn't right for you.
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The Responsibilities That Come with Trusts
Setting up a trust is only the beginning. Trustees take on real legal duties — to act in beneficiaries' best interests, keep proper records, manage assets prudently and meet ongoing reporting and tax obligations. Trusts also need periodic review because both the law and family circumstances change over time.
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We support families not just in establishing the right trust but in administering it properly — guiding trustees through their responsibilities and reviewing arrangements to keep them effective and compliant.
A Quiet First Step
You don't need to decide anything today, or restructure everything at once. Most families begin with a single conversation to understand whether a trust has a role in their plans at all.