The Shareholders’ Agreement Most UK Companies Do Not Have — And What Happens Without One

by johnireland | Articles

The Document Everyone Means to Sort Out Two people start a company. They incorporate online, take fifty shares each, use the default model articles, and get on with the work. Five, ten, fifteen years later the business is worth a serious amount of money — and the...

TLDR: New Trust Registration Rules From 30 June 2026

by johnireland | Legal Spotlight

Amended money laundering regulations changed the Trust Registration Service rules on 30 June 2026. Some non-UK trusts with UK links are now caught for the first time, while genuinely low-risk trusts get new easements. Because it cuts both ways, every trust needs...

The New Trust Registration Rules Are Now in Force — What Every Trustee Must Do Since 30 June 2026

by johnireland | Articles

A Quiet Change With Real Consequences On 30 June 2026, amended money laundering regulations changed the rules for the Trust Registration Service. The reform widens registration requirements for some trusts — particularly certain non-UK trusts with UK connections —...

TLDR: Pensions and Inheritance Tax From April 2027

by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials

From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and death benefits will count towards your estate for inheritance tax — legislated in Finance Act 2026, with HMRC’s technical note (updated 29 May 2026) setting out the mechanics. Pensions stop being the tax shelter...

Pensions Come Into the Inheritance Tax Net on 6 April 2027 — What Families Should Be Doing in the Twenty Months Left

by johnireland | Articles

The Single Biggest Change to Estate Planning in a Generation For the last decade, pensions have been the most inheritance-tax-efficient asset most families own. Advice was straightforward: spend other savings, leave the pension untouched, pass it on outside the...