With recent changes to capital gains tax rates reaching up to 24% and the CGT annual exemption frozen at just £3,000, many clients are looking for tax-efficient ways to structure their investments.
In his latest ‘Technically speaking’ session for the Paraplanners’ Assembly, Utmost’s Steve Sayer explores how offshore bonds and trust structures work together – offering inheritance tax planning options that provide flexibility for clients who want to be prepared for the ‘what ifs’ of life.
Packed with helpful examples and case studies
Steve brings the options to life with a series of examples of different trust arrangements and how they can be combined.
He’ll show you how discounted gift trusts can provide an immediate reduction in estate value, how loan trusts offer capital access, and why reversionary interest trusts might help hesitant clients take their first steps with inheritance tax planning.
The session includes a detailed case study showing how married clients in their sixties, with £3.5 million in assets, could use multiple trust structures to meet their annual income needs all while reducing their inheritance tax liability.
What’s more, you’ll learn about the planning opportunities that come with non-UK long term residence status and how offshore bonds can keep assets outside the UK inheritance tax net.
And to round off his session, Steve shares a decision-tree approach that you’re bound to find useful when you’re weighing up client needs.
What are the learning outcomes?
Once you’ve watched or listened to this episode, you will:
- Understand some concepts of UK IHT planning including:
- Inheritance planning opportunities using discounted gift, reversionary interest and loan trusts.
- How trusts can be used to provide access to capital and/withdrawals for lifestyle planning.
- Discuss and explain this subject with a client in a clear and concise way.
- Apply this knowledge to appropriate, individual, client scenarios.
Once you’ve watched or listened, make sure you grab your CPD
CPD: Take the quiz to receive your certificate
You’re invited to join paraplanners from all over the country at the Paraplanners’ Assembly’s Big Day Out 2025.
We’ll be gathering on Thursday 9 October 2025 at FarmED in rolling Cotswold countryside – the last time the Big Day Out will be held at the venue.
What’s it all about?
The Big Day Out is unlike any other event in the world of wealth management.
No presentations. No muzak. No boiled sweets. No exhibition areas. No product pitches.
Exclusively for paraplanners, it’s a gathering that offers a combination of tailor-made interactive sessions involving hand-picked experts (and designed especially for the event), group discussions facilitated by paraplanner hosts, and six hours’ worth of CPD.
Together we’ll explore topics affecting paraplanners and the practice of paraplanning – with case study-led technical sessions, the chance to gain insight and exchange ideas on the trends affecting the future of work, plus plenty of chance to make new paraplanning connections, and share tools and tips to perfect your day-to-day work.
The Big Day Out is a supportive and encouraging space in which you can listen and learn, and share ideas, knowledge and insights however suits you. It’s a unique environment in which you can really focus and flourish – both professionally and personally.
What’s on the agenda?
Once you’ve booked your spot, you’ll be invited to influence the content of the day, so the fine details won’t be locked down until about four weeks before the event. However, here’s the expected running order for The Big Day Out 2025.
09:00: Breakfast and gathering
Arrive. Check in with our registration team. Then help yourself to a delicious hot breakfast bun (or buns), and coffee and tea. Take the chance to say ‘hello’ to people you know. Take a deep breath and muster the courage to introduce yourself to people you don’t know. Weather-willing, take a wander around the RIBA award-winning site (it really is a lovely location). See if you can spot The Big Day Out chicken.
1000: Welcome and Morning Assembly
Join us in the conference barn for a warm welcome from your Big Day Out hosts, Aleks Sasin and Chris Wormwell. For the first hour, we’ll be all together for a thought-provoking Morning Assembly that will set the scene for the rest of the day.
1100: Case study pick-n-mix: No 1
Ahead of the Big Day Out, you’ll be invited to pick two case study sessions (from a choice of four). Each Case Study Pick-n-Mix session will last an hour. This is the first session.
1200: Case study pick-n-mix: No 2
This is the second session. (And, yes, IHT changes will feature as a pick-n-mix topic.)
1300: Lunch and drop-ins
Locally sourced and freshly prepared, we guarantee that this will be a *chef’s kiss* of a lunch for you to tuck into. Bon appetit!
As a side, feel free to drop into one (or both) of two practical half-hour sessions we’ll be running that will help you pep up your paraplanning.
1400: All together now
This session – designed especially for the Big Day Out 2025 – will tackle the trending topics affecting the future for paraplanners and paraplanning. Yes, it’ll address the adoption and application of artificial intelligence (AI) that is happening now, but it’s also a fantastic chance to consider how technology, regulation and trends in advice services will influence the way we work with our colleagues and clients in future.
1515: Break
There may be ice cream.
1545: All Together Now Too
We’ll conclude our conversations and conclusions from the previous session and draw the 2025 Big Day Out to a close.
1700: Cheerio and close
Questions and answers
Jump to
- Where can I stay?
- What if I have to be careful about what I eat?
- How accessible is FarmED for people who use wheelchairs or have other needs?
- I’m not a paraplanner or administrator. Can I take part?
- What is FarmED?
- Will there be photography at the event?
Where can I stay?
Chipping Norton (10 mins drive to FarmED): the nearest town to FarmED and there are a number of hotels and pubs with rooms in the town centre: Premier Inn; Kings Arms; Crown & Cushion and The Fox.
The rates at the Premier Inn are remarkably expensive, we’re afraid. The combination of the annual Fair in Chipping Norton plus the proximity of Soho Farmhouse, Daylesford Farm and Diddly Squat perhaps inflating prices. The rates at the Kings Arms, Crown & Cushions and The Fox do seem reasonable compared to previous years at the moment.
Shipton-under-Wychwood (5 mins drive to FarmED): the nearest village to FarmED and there are some really good options there which appear reasonably priced for September: The Crown, Wychwood Inn and Lamb Inn.
Long Compton (20 mins drive to FarmED): The Red Lion is a popular country pub with rooms. Long Compton is on the main road from Oxford to Shipston-on-Stour. It’s a little bit north of Chipping Norton but you can reach FarmED without having to drive via Chipping Norton. Speaking of Shipston-on-Stour…
Shipston-on-Stour (30 mins drive to FarmED): There are a number of places to stay in the centre of this market town including The George Townhouse, The Lazy Pug, The White Bear and The Bower House Restaurant and Rooms
Banbury (30 min drive to FarmED): Don’t rule out Banbury too. It’s just a 30 minute drive from Banbury Cross to FarmED with a Premier Inn in the centre of town and one on the outskirts by the M40. However, the newly refurbished Whateley Hall, which is just a stone’s throw from Banbury Cross itself, is offering good rates too at the moment. The operator of the Big Night In BBQ coach is based in Banbury so, if you decide to book a room in Banbury, let us know, and we can arrange for the coach’s first stop to be in Banbury.
Burford (15 mins drive to FarmED). Burford’s a popular tourist spot so the hotels do tend to be very pricey. But it’s an option and there’s a Travelodge too so it may be worth a look.
Airbnb: we haven’t researched Airbnb but, because it’s a popular tourist destination, there may well be B&Bs available for overnight stays within an easy drive of
What if I need to be careful about what I eat?
You can let us know if there are any foods you’d like to avoid for the Big Day Out and the Big Night In as part of the checkout process. (By the way, because it’s a working farm, FarmED’s kitchen uses organic produce grown in its own fields so you’re in for the FRESHEST ingredients imaginable!)
How accessible is FarmED for people who use wheelchairs or have other needs?
Our event takes place in FarmED’s award-winning buildings. There are no steps in any of the buildings. Wide side doors can be opened to assist wheelchair access. Assistance dogs are welcome in the buildings. There are two disabled car parking spaces next to the entrance of the main building.
I’m not a paraplanner or administrator. Can I take part?
Assemblies are designed by paraplanners for paraplanners and we also welcome administrators, so if you are not one please don’t book a ticket. If you’re still really interested in coming along then get in touch with us at [email protected].
What is FarmED?
FarmED’s mission is to provide learning spaces and events that inspire, educate and connect people to build sustainable farming and food systems that nourish people and regenerate the planet. These really chime with the Assembly’s role in the lives of paraplanners. (Plus it’s a lovely venue.)
Will there be photography at the event?
Yes. We love a good a photo featuring our events so don’t be surprised if you spot a photographer or Assembly host lurking with a camera. If you don’t want to appear in photographs that we publish online, please let us know when you arrive at the event.
The choices clients make during the 5-10 years either side of retirement can decide how comfortable they’ll be once they stop working. In fact, it’s such a distinctive stage in our financial lives that, among a growing number of advice professionals, it’s known as the ‘retirement risk zone’.
The data says – and you’ll know this yourself – that clients tend to become more risk-averse on their approach to retirement. Yet the likelihood of longer lifespans – and the costs associated with it – mean that ‘playing it safe’ could actually prove to be risky.
What’s more, persistent economic uncertainty and instability, not forgetting the FCA’s retirement income review exposing gaps in advice quality, means hatching a plan that helps clients swerve unnecessary risks around retirement has never been more important.
Zone in on the risks in one lunch hour
Join us online at 1pm on 23 July 2025 when Connor Stewart from Standard Life will be joining host, Richard Allum, to explore the features of the retirement risk zone.
Together they’ll consider the risks that can trip clients up – things like the shift from accumulation to decumulation, sequencing returns, and adapting to changing financial priorities in an uncertain world – before considering practical ways to tackle them using approaches such as smoothed funds and guaranteed lifetime income.
Save your spot now.
Take part and you’ll leave with practical ideas to help guide clients through one of the trickiest phases of their financial lives. So how about it? Fancy zoning in on retirement risk? Then save your spot now.
What knowledge, experience and skills will help you get hired? And, once you are hired, how will you know you’ve actually made the right choice?
Whether you want to get into paraplanning, are just starting out, or know someone who would love to get their break, this online Assembly – recorded on 9 July 2025 – is jam-packed with insights on making your move into paraplanning.
Hear for yourself how our guests took their unique paths into paraplanning
Host Caroline Stuart is joined by paraplanning guests Chris Wormwell, Ceetal Katechia and Kez Condy, plus personal development expert Sarah Purves of Aegon.
Over the course of one podcast, you’ll discover how each of our paraplanners took very different routes into the profession.
One is a former barista who swapped one daily grind for another kind altogether. Then there’s the university marketer who yearned to change career. Finally, there’s the ex-administrator who set their heart on changing lanes into paraplanning.
Among the topics covered are
- The multiple pathways into paraplanning (because there’s never a ‘right’ route is there?)
- Tried and tested strategies for overcoming obstacles when starting out (or just started)
- Building a career plan that works for you
- Creating your support network
- Tackling imposter syndrome head-on
- Vital conversations to have with current or potential employers
Let’s be honest, how many of us can claim that we had our careers sussed out from day one? So don’t miss this fantastic chance to listen, learn and take your first step into paraplanning.
Don’t forget your CPD
Once you’ve listened to this Assembly, you can request a certificate for 1½ hours CPD. Just follow the link below.
Thank you Aegon
This online Assembly would not be possible without the generous support of Aegon. Thank you to the team at Aegon for supporting next week’s Assembly – and for backing the development of paraplanners and paraplanning in the UK through their support of the Paraplanners’ Assembly.
Now don’t take this the wrong way, but is there a chance that last time you put together recommendations or financial plans for a woman, the approach was unknowingly influenced by assumptions that generally apply to a man?
As paraplanners, we have the power to directly influence financial outcomes that are better for women – whether we’re reviewing fact finds, drafting recommendations, or creating financial plans.
But are we truly creating plans for the individuals in front of us? Or are we unwittingly relying on conventional thinking and assumptions which are actually more likely to be rooted in men’s experiences rather than women’s?
It matters because, more often than not, women’s financial lives are very different to men’s. So to deliver genuinely effective financial planning, it’s important to understand the differences and how to adapt our approach.
A chance to challenge your thinking
In the recording of this online Assembly, host Sam Tonks invited Sam Secomb of Women’s Wealth and Susan Hope of Scottish Widows to explore how paraplanners can better understand and address the unique financial planning needs of women.
Together, they discussed women’s distinctive financial journeys and the stark disparities that exist – including the startling 30 per cent gender pension gap – and asked how paraplanners can help create better financial outcomes for female clients. During the session Sam, Susan and Sam discuss
– what makes women’s financial experience so different from men’s
– the real-world impact of the ‘parenthood penalty’ on long-term financial planning
– our assumptions about vulnerabilities, risk profiles and investment preferences
– practical strategies paraplanners can implement to better serve female clients
What will you learn from this Assembly?
You’ll gain actionable insights that we’re certain will help you improve your paraplanning approach, challenge conventional thinking and assumptions, and help deliver more tailored financial plans for your female clients.
Plus, you’ll discover practical tools and ideas so you’re equipped to improve financial outcomes for women right away.
Interested? Then tune in now.
Are you an outsourced paraplanner?
Whether you’re the only employee of your paraplanning practice, or you lead a paraplanning powerhouse with employees and a hefty bank of clients, outsourced paraplanners share lots of things in common.
You just do.
But here’s the thing: despite the growing number of outsourced paraplanners in the UK these days, opportunities to get together to talk only about things that matter in the outsourced world, are surprisingly few and far between.
Switch off. Show up. Join in.
So, if you’re an outsourced paraplanner, here’s our invitation: at 1pm on Thursday 19 June 2025, set your notifications to ‘do not disturb’, click on the Zoom link in your event invitation and gather with other outsourced paraplanners across the UK for an hour of conversation, ideas and practical insights.
There’s nothing to prepare. Just come along ready to share your answer to one question:
‘What’s on your mind today?’
Spaces are limited. To save a spot hit ‘Book Event’ and look out for the calendar invitation in your inbox.
Are you an outsourced paraplanner?
Whether you’re the only employee of your paraplanning practice, or you lead a paraplanning powerhouse with employees and a hefty bank of clients, outsourced paraplanners share lots of things in common.
You just do.
But here’s the thing: despite the growing number of outsourced paraplanners in the UK these days, opportunities to get together to talk only about things that matter in the outsourced world, are surprisingly few and far between.
Switch off. Show up. Join in.
So, if you’re an outsourced paraplanner, here’s our invitation: at 1pm on Thursday 24 April 2025, set your notifications to ‘do not disturb’, click on the Zoom link in your event invitation and gather with other outsourced paraplanners across the UK for an hour of conversation, ideas and practical insights.
There’s nothing to prepare. Just come along ready to share your answer to one question:
‘What’s on your mind today?’
Spaces are limited. To save a spot hit ‘Book Event’ and look out for the calendar invitation in your inbox.
From April 2025, the rules determining who pays UK inheritance tax are changing.
Instead of the complex domicile rules, a new ‘long-term residency’ test will decide whether someone’s worldwide assets fall into the IHT net.
Discover what’s changing
In this episode, Utmost’s international technical sales manager, Steve Sayer, explores how the new rules could affect clients in a range of scenarios – whether they’re UK residents planning to retire abroad or people returning home after years overseas.
Using worked examples, Steve demonstrates how changes affect trust planning, and explains when trusts might shift between excluded and relevant property status. He also touches on the implications of pension death benefits becoming subject to IHT from 2027.
Who is this Assembly for?
Whether you’re already dealing with cross-border IHT planning or want to understand how these changes might create new planning opportunities, this session is a great way to get to grips with the new framework.
What are the learning outcomes?
By the end of this podcast, you’ll understand the post April 2025 changes to:
- Inheritance Tax; and
- The taxation of non domiciles
- How trusts can help to mitigate IHT liabilities
- Discuss and explain these with a client in a clear and concise way
- Apply this knowledge to appropriate, individual, client scenarios
Once you’ve listened, make sure you grab your CPD
CPD: Take the quiz to receive your certificate
Want to learn more? Then tune in now.
The way pensions are treated for inheritance tax (IHT) is set for a big shake up in April 2027 when unused pension funds will count as part of a client’s estate and become liable to IHT.
In preparation for the change, the government announced a consultation on the liability, reporting and payment of IHT at last October’s Budget.
That consultation ended late in January 2025. But what are its conclusions likely to be? And what do paraplanners need to know so you, your firm and its clients are ready when the reforms go live?
What do you and your clients need to know?
Those are the questions that M&G‘s head of technical, Les Cameron, addressed when he joined us for an online Assembly to explores what the changes could mean for paraplanners and your clients (or clients of clients if you’re outsourced or freelancing).
What you can expect to take away from this Assembly?
Together with Assembly host Richard Allum, Les shared his thoughts on how the new IHT framework will affect pension death benefits after 2027. The conversation to covered things like:
- Whether it makes sense to think about taking money out of pensions earlier than planned
- Why bypass trusts might be making a comeback
- How the pension reforms could affect red-amber-green assessment
- Practical steps paraplanners can take now to prepare for the changes
Stop press: post-event answers to questions raised in the chat
There were loads of questions from paraplanners in the chat but, because we ran out of time, Les posted his responses to them in this thread at The Big Tent.
Are you an outsourced paraplanner?
Whether you’re the only employee of your paraplanning practice, or you lead a paraplanning powerhouse with employees and a hefty bank of clients, outsourced paraplanners share lots of things in common.
You just do.
But here’s the thing: despite the growing number of outsourced paraplanners in the UK these days, opportunities to get together to talk only about things that matter in the outsourced world, are surprisingly few and far between.
Switch off. Show up. Join in.
So, if you’re an outsourced paraplanner, here’s our invitation: at 10am on Thursday 27 February 2025, set your notifications to ‘do not disturb’, click on the Zoom link in your event invitation and gather with other outsourced paraplanners across the UK for an hour of conversation, ideas and practical insights.
There’s nothing to prepare. Just come along ready to share your answer to one question:
‘What’s on your mind today?’
Spaces are limited. To save a spot hit ‘Book Event’ and look out for the calendar invitation in your inbox.