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The Family Wealth Fortress: WealthBuilders' Most Comprehensive Programme Yet
Episode Summary
Christian Rodwell and Kevin Whelan introduce WealthBuilders' newest project: The Family Wealth Fortress. Prompted by the upcoming inheritance tax changes on pensions from April 2027, Kevin explains why many families now need a more joined up approach to wealth planning — not a patchwork of disconnected advice. This episode explores how WealthBuilders aims to act like a “wealth GP” for families: coordinating tax, legal, financial and structural decisions so wealth can be protected, passed on elegantly, and understood by the next generation. The goal is to create a “fortress” that is organised, documented, and resilient for decades to come.
Episode Notes
Key Topics Covered:
1. Why the Family Wealth Fortress, Why Now
- Inheritance tax on pensions from April 2027 is forcing families to rethink legacy planning.
- “High net worth” is now effectively £1m plus once pensions are included, meaning far more families are exposed.
- Many people have a patchwork of advice and products that is hard to coordinate, hard to optimise, and hard for executors to manage.
2. From Patchwork Quilt to Fortress Thinking
- The goal is to make wealth transfer elegant, organised, and resilient for the next generation.
- Kevin frames this as moving from wealth abundance into legacy, with a clear process rather than “hinting” at legacy planning.
- WealthBuilders positions itself as the central coordinator, like a “wealth GP”, bringing specialists in when needed.
3. The Seven Integrations (The Fortress Framework)
- Tax: proactive “event led” planning, especially inheritance tax, not just annual returns.
- Legal: wills, powers of attorney, protection, and avoiding disputes such as contentious probate.
- Financial: building wealth is not enough, families need planning for protection and perpetuation too.
- Structures: holding companies, family investment companies, trusts, share classes, and intergenerational planning.
- SSAS and pensions: using family pension structures, earmarking, and cascading to reduce future inheritance tax impact.
- Recurring income: inheritance tax is on capital not income, so understanding income enables smarter gifting.
- Legacy: involving the next generation early through trusteeship, shareholding, and participation in the family plan.
4. Record Keeping, Gifting, and the Digital Vault
- Families need clear documentation to avoid confusion, delays, and challenges after death.
- Kevin highlights using intention and execution records (for example IHT documentation) to reduce HMRC risk.
- A digital vault brings tax, legal, financial, structures, and gifting records into one accessible place for executors.
5. Who It’s For and How to Take the First Step
- This is application based, limited capacity, and aimed at families typically 55 plus with estates around £1m plus.
- It is designed to be implemented over 3 to 5 years, still broken down into manageable steps.
- A practical first move is using the free inheritance tax calculator to understand your current exposure.
Actionable Takeaways:
- Don’t assume your current advice is joined up, check how tax, legal, financial and structures connect.
- Start planning for inheritance tax now, especially with pensions being included from April 2027.
- Move from reactive planning to proactive “event led” planning for key life events.
- Get your documentation organised and accessible, so executors are not left guessing.
- Involve the next generation earlier, so wealth transfer includes wisdom, not just money.
- Take the first step by using the IHT calculator and booking a conversation if the fortress approach fits your situation.
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