International Financial Planning
Financial Planning Guides
670 in-depth guides covering all aspects of international financial planning for UK expats and globally mobile investors — from tax and estate planning to offshore investment structures and currency strategy.
Estate Planning & Succession
Wills, trusts, IHT, succession planning, and cross-border estate law for internationally mobile individuals.
Letter of Wishes for Trustees: A Practical Guide for Settlors and Beneficiaries
A letter of wishes provides trustees with guidance on how a discretionary trust should be managed — without legally constraining their discretion. Getting this document right is one of the most important things a settlor can do to ensure their intentions are carried out.
Read guide →Life Assurance in Trust to Pay IHT Liabilities
How to use life insurance written in trust to meet an anticipated inheritance tax liability — covering policy types, trust structures, premium payment exemptions, and practical considerations.
Read guide →Loan Trusts for IHT Planning: How They Work and When to Use Them
A loan trust allows you to invest money for the benefit of your family without giving it away permanently — the loan remains available if you need it, while all investment growth sits outside your estate.
Read guide →Mirror Wills and Mutual Wills for International Couples
Understand the differences between mirror wills and mutual wills, their legal enforceability across borders, and the planning considerations for couples with assets in multiple jurisdictions.
Read guide →Multi-Generational Wealth Planning for HNW Families
Wealth built over one or two generations is frequently lost by the third — but families who invest in governance, education, and shared values significantly improve the odds.
Read guide →Nil-Rate Band Discretionary Trusts: Planning Guide
Before the transferable nil-rate band was introduced in 2007, nil-rate band discretionary trusts were a standard estate planning tool. Today they remain relevant for asset protection, second-marriage planning, and managing periodic charges. This guide explains their mechanics, tax treatment, and modern use cases.
Read guide →Offshore Discretionary Trusts for Non-UK Domiciliaries: A Practical Guide
Offshore discretionary trusts remain a valuable estate and tax planning tool for non-UK domiciliaries, though the 2025 non-dom reforms require an urgent review of existing structures.
Read guide →Panama Foundations for International Estate Planning
How Panama Private Interest Foundations work, their uses for international estate planning, asset protection, and wealth transfer, and the compliance and due diligence considerations that apply as of 2026.
Read guide →Pension Funds and Inheritance Tax: Planning Before and After the 2027 Reform
For decades, defined contribution pension funds have been one of the most powerful IHT mitigation tools available — sitting outside the estate on death. The October 2024 Budget changed that: from April 2027, DC pension funds will be brought into the IHT net. This guide explains the current position, the reform, and what to do before and after.
Read guide →Philanthropic Giving for International HNW Individuals
Structured philanthropy can achieve meaningful social impact while complementing your wider estate plan — but the rules vary considerably depending on where you pay tax.
Read guide →Pilot Trusts in Estate Planning: History, Mechanics, and Modern Relevance
Pilot trusts were once used to establish multiple separate nil-rate bands for discretionary trusts, sheltering large sums from periodic IHT charges. The same-day addition rules introduced by Finance (No. 2) Act 2015 have largely curtailed this, but pilot trusts retain limited utility for certain strategies. This guide explains their history, the current rules, and the practical limitations post-FATCA and CRS.
Read guide →Powers of Attorney Across Borders: Planning for Incapacity
How to plan for financial and personal incapacity when your assets and interests span multiple countries — covering international recognition of powers of attorney, Hague Convention mechanisms, and jurisdiction-specific requirements.
Read guide →Powers of Attorney for International Clients: A Practical Guide
A lasting power of attorney is one of the most important documents you can have — but it only works in the jurisdiction where it was made. International clients need a joined-up approach across every country where they hold assets.
Read guide →Powers of Attorney for Internationally Mobile Individuals
Why internationally mobile individuals need carefully structured power of attorney arrangements in every jurisdiction where they hold assets — and what happens without them.
Read guide →Preparing Heirs for Wealth: A Practical Guide for HNW Families
Why most wealthy families fail to transfer wealth successfully across generations, and what the families that succeed do differently — from financial literacy education and graduated inheritance to family governance structures and the use of trusts.
Read guide →Probate for International Estates: Navigating Multiple Jurisdictions
A practical guide to the probate process for internationally mobile individuals — how to administer an estate with assets in multiple countries, obtain recognition of grants, manage competing legal systems, and minimise cost and delay.
Read guide →Protecting Your Estate from UK Care Home Costs
UK residential care can cost £50,000–£100,000 per year. For someone who lives in residential care for eight years, the total bill can exceed £600,000 — potentially consuming much of the estate intended for children and grandchildren. Understanding the means test and the legitimate planning tools available is essential.
Read guide →Resolving Inheritance and IHT Disputes: A Guide to the Legal Framework
A guide to inheritance disputes in England and Wales: Inheritance Act 1975 claims, TOLATA, proprietary estoppel, challenging a Grant of Probate, deed of variation, mediation vs litigation, and recognising overseas Wills in UK courts.
Read guide →School Fees Planning: Trusts, Bonds, and Grandparental Giving
Funding private school fees tax-efficiently requires navigating parental settlement rules, trust structures, offshore bonds, and grandparental giving strategies. This guide covers bare trusts for children, the pre-2006 accumulation and maintenance trust landscape, offshore bonds in trust, onshore bond assignment, and how grandparents can contribute without tax traps.
Read guide →Settlor-Interested Trusts and UK Tax Implications
What makes a trust settlor-interested, how HMRC taxes the settlor's income and gains, and how to structure trust arrangements to manage the tax exposure.
Read guide →Shareholder Protection for International Businesses: What Happens if a Partner Dies?
Without a shareholder protection arrangement, the death or critical illness of a business partner can force a sale, introduce unwanted new shareholders, or leave surviving owners without the funds to buy out the deceased's estate.
Read guide →Tax on Distributions from Discretionary Trusts: A Practical Guide for Trustees and Beneficiaries
Distributions from discretionary trusts have specific income tax and CGT consequences for both trustees and beneficiaries. Understanding how the 45% trust tax rate and tax credit system works — and when holdover relief is available — is essential for efficient trust administration.
Read guide →The Residence Nil Rate Band: Maximising This IHT Allowance
The Residence Nil Rate Band can shelter up to £175,000 of a residential property from inheritance tax — but the qualifying conditions are strict and the trust trap catches many families.
Read guide →Trust vs Private Foundation: Choosing the Right Vehicle for International Estate Planning
Whether a trust or a private foundation is more appropriate depends on your legal background, the jurisdictions you operate in, and the degree of control you wish to retain.
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Our guides provide the framework — but every expat's financial position is different. Book a free review with one of our international financial planners to get advice specific to your situation.