by johnireland | Articles
Most business owners have thought about who gets the shares if something happens to them. Far fewer have thought about what happens on the Monday morning after. Who can pay the wages? Who can sign the cheques? Can the business even trade while probate is sorted out?...
by johnireland | Business Builder
An Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) is a third succession route alongside a trade sale or passing the business to family. You sell your shares to a trust that holds a controlling stake for employees generally, usually paid in instalments rather than a lump sum. Where...
by johnireland | Articles
Most business owners planning their exit think in terms of two roads: sell to a trade buyer, or hand the business down to the next generation. There is a third option that has quietly become one of the most tax-efficient ways to step back from a company you have...
by johnireland | Legal Spotlight
Councils can treat a gift or property transfer as “deprivation of assets” if they decide it was done deliberately to avoid care fees. There is no fixed time limit: a council must show you knew you would need care at the time, and that avoiding fees was a...
by johnireland | Articles
Every few months, a client sits across the desk from me and asks some version of the same question: “If I give the house to my children now, will the council still count it when I need care?” It is a fair question. Care home fees can run into tens of...
