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Protecting and Passing on Wealth

Helping you support the people and causes that matter most.

For many people, building wealth is only part of the story.

The deeper question is often what that wealth is ultimately for: supporting family, creating security, helping future generations and protecting what has been built over a lifetime. Leaving things organised and clear for the people left behind.

At Mattioli Woods, Inheritance Tax (IHT) and estate planning is about far more than tax alone. It’s about helping people think carefully and confidently about how wealth should support the lives, values and priorities that matter most to them.

Good estate planning isn’t simply about passing on money, it‘s about passing on clarity, structure and peace of mind.

Good estate planning is not really about tax. It is about helping people feel confident that what they have built over a lifetime will support the people and priorities that matter most to them

Bob Woods MBE

Founder and Senior Adviser

Why Inheritance Tax and estate planning matter

Over time, financial lives often become more complex.

Property values rise, investments grow, pension wealth accumulates and business assets develop.

As a result, many individuals and families may become exposed to Inheritance Tax without necessarily realising how significantly their estate could be affected. Inheritance Tax is currently charged at 40% on qualifying estate value above available allowances, meaning substantial amounts of wealth can potentially be lost without proper planning.

At the same time, legislation and taxation can change over time, creating new planning considerations and opportunities. Changes from 6 April 2027 to the treatment of most unused defined contribution pensions and death benefits, potentially bringing them within estates, have also prompted many individuals to rethink how wealth may be structured and passed on in the future.

Without proper planning, wealth intended to support family or future generations may not ultimately pass in the way originally intended.

Estate planning helps bring greater clarity around what you own, how wealth may eventually pass on, potential Inheritance Tax exposure, and the options available to structure things more efficiently. Most importantly, it helps ensure planning remains aligned to your wider goals, priorities and long-term financial security.

Planning built around your life and family

Every family situation is different.

Some people want to help children or grandchildren during their lifetime. Others want to retain flexibility and control while gradually reducing Inheritance Tax exposure over time. Some are focused on protecting business wealth or ensuring assets pass according to their wishes.

That’s why estate planning should never be approached as a standalone technical exercise.

At Mattioli Woods, Inheritance Tax planning forms part of a wider joined-up financial plan. Using structured financial planning, cash-flow modelling and our MW⁶ framework, we help clients understand what they may be able to afford to do, how gifting or planning decisions could affect their own future security, and how wealth may eventually transfer across generations.

Good planning should help support both your own future and the future of the people you care about.

Helping clients think more clearly about important questions

Estate planning conversations often begin with uncertainty.

Clients are frequently trying to understand questions such as whether they can afford to gift money during their lifetime, how much they may need for their own future security, whether pensions should be preserved for future generations, what role trusts may play, or how Inheritance Tax can potentially be reduced without losing control of assets entirely.

Others are thinking about fairness across family members, supporting children or grandchildren earlier in life, or ensuring plans remain flexible should circumstances change later on.

Good planning helps create structure around these decisions.

Rather than focusing purely on tax allowances or technical products, our role is to help clients understand the bigger picture of how wealth can support both current and future generations with greater clarity and confidence.

Areas Inheritance Tax and estate planning may involve

Wills and lasting powers of attorney

Ensuring wishes are clearly documented and that trusted individuals are able to make decisions on your behalf if required can form an important foundation of wider estate planning.

Gifting strategies

Many clients want to support children, grandchildren or family members during their lifetime rather than waiting until wealth eventually passes through their estate. Structured gifting strategies can help clients understand what may be affordable while remaining aligned to their own long-term financial security.

Trust planning

Trusts may help provide greater control, flexibility and structure around how wealth is eventually passed on, particularly where families want to balance access, protection and long-term planning considerations.

Inheritance Tax insurance

Whole of life insurance may, in some circumstances, help provide liquidity to meet potential Inheritance Tax liabilities and reduce pressure on other family assets.

Tax-efficient investing

For suitable clients, specialist investments such as Business Relief-qualifying investments, Venture Capital Trusts (VCT) or Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) may support wider Inheritance Tax or estate planning objectives. These investments can involve higher levels of risk and complexity, so careful suitability assessment is important.

Pension and retirement planning

Pensions, retirement income and estate planning are increasingly interconnected. Understanding how different assets work together can form an important part of long-term Inheritance Tax planning.

Joined-up planning matters

Inheritance Tax planning should not happen in isolation.

Investment planning, retirement income, gifting, taxation, pensions and family priorities are all connected. Decisions made in one area can often affect another, sometimes in ways that are not immediately obvious.

That’s why our approach focuses on joined-up planning.

Using cash-flow modelling and structured financial planning, we help clients understand how decisions made today may shape both their own future lifestyle and the wealth eventually passed on to others.

This helps create greater clarity around balancing enjoying wealth today, maintaining long-term financial security, and supporting future generations thoughtfully over time.

Elderly parents talking to their children

Ongoing planning as life evolves

Estate planning is rarely something completed once and never revisited.

Family circumstances, wealth, and legislation change, while priorities evolve. That‘s why ongoing planning reviews remain an important part of Inheritance Tax and estate planning.

These conversations provide opportunities to revisit goals, review structures already in place, consider changes in taxation or legislation, and refine plans as circumstances evolve. They also create space for deeper conversations around what clients genuinely want their wealth to achieve, how priorities may be evolving, and what financial confidence really means for them and their family.

Often the most important estate planning decisions are not purely financial, they’re personal.

Long-term relationships create better planning

At Mattioli Woods, clients work with a dedicated adviser and support team who take time to understand their wider financial picture, family priorities and long-term goals.

This continuity creates better context for planning decisions.

Estate planning often works best through long-term relationships because circumstances, aspirations and family dynamics naturally evolve. Advice can then adapt gradually and thoughtfully as life changes.

The strongest estate plans are not built around isolated transactions or technical solutions alone; they’re built around understanding people properly and helping them feel confident about the future.

Frequently asked questions

What is Inheritance Tax planning?

Inheritance Tax planning involves structuring wealth thoughtfully to help ensure more of your estate passes to the people and causes you care about, while remaining aligned to your own long-term financial security and goals.

When should I start thinking about estate planning?

Earlier than most people think.

Estate planning is often most effective when approached gradually rather than reactively. Early planning can create greater flexibility and more options around gifting, pensions, trusts and wider Inheritance Tax considerations.

Is estate planning only for very wealthy people?

No. Rising property values, pension wealth and changes to pensions legislation from April 2027, and long-term investment growth mean many families may now be exposed to Inheritance Tax without necessarily considering themselves wealthy.

Estate planning is often less about wealth labels and more about ensuring assets pass in the way intended.

Can I gift money without affecting my own security?

Potentially, but this depends on your wider financial position and future plans.

At Mattioli Woods, we use cash-flow modelling and structured financial planning to help clients understand what they may be able to afford to gift while maintaining confidence in their own future lifestyle and financial security.

Why are regular estate planning reviews important?

Family circumstances, taxation and legislation can all change. Regular reviews help ensure plans remain aligned to current objectives and provide opportunities to adapt planning as circumstances evolve.

Helping you plan with greater confidence

Estate planning is ultimately about more than tax.

It’s about helping ensure the wealth you have built supports the people, priorities and future you care about most – both during your lifetime and beyond it.

At Mattioli Woods, we help clients bring greater clarity, structure and confidence to those decisions through long-term planning and joined-up advice built around what matters most to them.

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