by johnireland | Articles
I have spent thirty years sitting with families after someone has died, helping them make sense of what was left behind. Time and again, the people I meet are not just grieving a parent or a partner. They are grieving someone who never quite switched off. A business...
by johnireland | Articles
Give away the family home too soon, and you could hand HMRC two tax bills instead of none Gifting a property to your children while you’re still alive can feel like the sensible, generous thing to do. You reduce the value of your estate, you get to see your...
by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials
Estate planning failures are often administrative rather than legal. Families frequently inherit confusion, delays and financial friction because asset information, liabilities and ownership structures were never organised during the owner’s lifetime. Most estate...
by johnireland | Legal Spotlight
Personal guarantees signed years earlier can continue affecting estates long after directors believe the underlying business risk has disappeared. A surprising number of high-net-worth estates contain liabilities the family never knew existed. The source is often not...