When it comes to gaining and maintaining inheritance tax (IHT) planning know-how and expertise, nothing beats a good case study.
So this special case study investigation, which features not one but two client examples, is bound to be right up your street.
Join Steve and Richard as they crack the case
Because in this 50-minute episode, Utmost International’s Steve Sayer joins host, Richard Allum, to explore why reversionary interest trusts (RITs) combined with the available nil rate band (NRB) threshold, can become a powerful and flexible feature of a client’s IHT strategy.
In a conversation that’s packed with practical insights, ideas and expertise, tax and trusts expert Steve unpacks two case studies which will help you:
– understand the mechanics and key features of a RIT
– consider planning opportunities using RITs especially in conjunction with other options
– be able to discuss and explain RITs and NRB with a client in a clear and concise way
– apply this knowledge to appropriate, individual, client scenarios
Whether you’re a seasoned paraplanner who wants to keep your knowledge fresh or the role of RITs in IHT planning is new territory for you, we’re sure you’ll enjoy the hands-on learning offered by this expert discussion.
Watch or listen now
Just follow the links for a CPD certificate and downloads.
To mark Independence Day in the United States, we thought we’d treat you to a bonus episode: a bite-sized Assembly that’s all about investing for US expats living in the UK.
Because despite being citizens of the ‘land of the free’, once they leave the USA’s shores, expat savers and investors often face complex challenges to stay on the right side of the US equivalent of HMRC: the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
So what do paraplanners in the UK need to know to support US expat clients? Who better to ask for expert knowledge and insight than a specialist in investing for US expats: Canaccord Genuity’s Laurence Leigh.
In this bite-sized Assembly, Laurence explores:
- The unique tax challenges facing US citizens abroad – including worldwide taxation and annual IRS returns
- Investment limitations and potential pitfalls, such as the risks of UK ISAs and non-US listed funds
- Solutions for compliant investing – including US-recognised structures and expert portfolio management
In just ten minutes, Laurence covers the dos and don’ts of advising US expats, the limitations of UK platforms, and the severe penalties for non-compliance.
It’s an episode packed with practical advice that will give you confidence in ensuring US expat clients can invest effectively and stay compliant on both sides of the Atlantic.
Brian Radbone, Technical Counsel at Transact, joins Richard to unpack the post-lifetime allowance (LTA) world and its consequences for paraplanners.
In a bite-sized Assembly lasting less than eight minutes, Brian explores transition certificates, new lump sum allowances, and why timing is everything when it comes to crystallising benefits. Plus he discusses the importance of understanding provider restrictions.
If you’re in the market for a post-LTA primer but are pushed for time, this Assembly is ideal.
Canaccord Genuity’s chief investment officer, Tom Becket, joins Richard Allum for a primer on fixed interest investments that is ideal for paraplanners wherever you are in your career.
During a 20-minute conversation, Tom explains the basics of bonds and gilts, how interest rates affect their values, and how the recent spikes in interest rates have affected returns and revived annuities – putting an end to years of fixed interest investments’ appearing to be ‘uninvestable’.
The likelihood of lower inflation combined with potential interest rate cuts is positive for fixed interest markets.
But Tom is keen to stress that all bonds aren’t created equal and he offers his thoughts on where – depending on the risk appetite of your clients – opportunities might lie across a spectrum of fixed interest investments, from government debt to high-yield credit.
For paraplanners looking to get a handle on this significant but possibly misunderstood asset class, this bite-sized Assembly offers valuable insights to help navigate the fixed interest landscape.
In a special bite-sized Assembly, Transact’s Stuart Fleat explains how model portfolio services offered by discretionary investment managers are able to accessed on platforms like Transact.
In less than six minutes, Stuart explains how platforms and MPS providers are able to handle access to client accounts and data securely and confidentially, how portfolio rebalancing works in practice, practical considerations around capital gains tax, and how clients are invested into the model portfolios.
It’s no secret that top slicing relief offers a powerful method of reducing tax liability by spreading bond gains across each year of the lifetime of the bond.
But no matter how experienced a paraplanner you may be, working out the best way to make use of the relief, and getting the top slicing calculations right, can be tricky.
Join Steve and Richard as they crack the case
That’s why we think this case study investigation (CSI) on top slicing will be right up your street.
In this 45-minute special on top slicing, Utmost International’s technical sales manager, Steve Sayer, joins The Paraplanners’ Richard Allum, to pick his way through a case study featuring fictional client, David.
Designed to give you the chance to consider the financial planning opportunities from all sorts of angles, this CSI will help you:
- understand how top slicing relief works and when it can be applied;
- calculate top slicing relief as accurately and tax efficiently as you can;
- work out strategies to assign bond segments to spouses or beneficiaries to reduce tax liabilities;
- understand how pension contributions can be used to save tax and maximise relief; and
- navigate how bond gains, personal allowances, and other sources of income work together
Watch or listen now
Whether you’re new to top slicing relief or are a seasoned pro, it never hurts to top up your knowledge and know how – especially when it can make such a big difference to a client’s financial plan.
There are times when we’re recording an online Assembly or bitesize video or dedicated podcast episode and we just think OMG EVERYONE IS GOING TO ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS.
And that’s the case with this interview with consultant and founding director of About Consulting Group, Jon Dunckley.
Because this podcast is all about neurodiversity.
(Its origins lie in this comment by Planner12 posted at The Big Tent last year.)
And, as Jon (who is autistic) says very early on in the episode, neurodiversity matters to me, you and everyone.
After all, we each have a way of thinking that’s unique to us. We all occupy our place in a neurodiverse world.
But if the way we think is plotted on a spectrum, most of us would be considered ‘neurotypical’.
Yet plenty of us – at least 1 in 10 in the UK – function, learn and process information differently from the neurotypical.
Neurodifference and work
We may be neurodifferent but, despite thinking differently, we’re expected to adapt and succeed in a world that’s geared towards neurotypical people.
And that’s why we thought Planner12’s question – and the thread that their comment sparked – was such a great starting point to consider neurodiversity and its consequences personally and professionally whether we’re neurodivergent or neurotypical.
Because even if we’re not neurodifferent ourselves, people we work with will be. Either way, what do we need to consider about day-to-day working life so we each get the chance to thrive, contribute and gain fulfilment from work?
What do we mean by neurodifferent? What conditions are considered neurodifferent? If you’re neurodifferent, do you mention it to your employer? Do you need a diagnosis? What’s your approach to studying and sitting exams? How should you adapt your leadership style for a range of neurodifferent conditions? And how does your condition influence the way you manage your team?
Invaluable insights and practical tips
In just under an hour, host Richard Allum and Jon explore just about everything you could possibly want to cover.
Expect talk of autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dyslexia and dysgraphia. Learn about TIC syndrome, the ‘Pygmalion effect’, why people with ‘spiky profiles’ are good for business. Plus why job adverts should (a) encourage applicants with spiky profiles and (b) be really clear about what a job will actually involve.
And there’s so much more.
In fact, this is an area we’re going to explore more – and not leave it too long before we do. So if you think of anything that the Assembly could explore once you’ve listened please get in touch and tell us what you think.
Now, tuck in to this latest episode. We think you’re going to love it.
Listen to the Assembly
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Learn more
A few of links mentioned by Jon during the episode
British Dyslexia Association: Dyslexia-friendly style guide
The Neurodiverse Workplace by Victoria Honeybourne
Think Human Business Writing course
BTS podcast: Neurodiversity and studying for regulated exams
PFS Power: Working with vulnerable clients