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:

Once you’ve watched or listened, make sure you grab your CPD

CPD: Take the quiz to receive your certificate

Participants in The Big Day Out 2025 are pictured in a group photo in front of the FarmED farm education centre

Paraplanners from all over the country gathered on Thursday 9 October 2025 at FarmED in rolling Cotswold countryside – the last time the Big Day Out was being at the venue.

An introduction to AI for Paraplanners

Participants were welcomed by The Big Day Out hosts, Aleks Sasin and Chris Wormwell, before Harriet Meyer kicked the day off with An introduction to AI for paraplanners.

What were the big takeaway messages from the session?
Used properly, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini can be powerful tools to aid the writing process that sits at the heart of your role. From client communications to suitability reports, the quality of your written work directly impacts client outcomes and regulatory compliance.

In this highly interactive session, award-winning financial journalist and AI trainer Harriet, cut through the AI hype using hands-on exercises where participants could practice effective prompt design and see real examples of how AI can improve client communications, streamline report writing, and support documentation tasks.

Whether you had never used AI tools, experimented with basic applications, or were already incorporating AI into your workflow but want to improve your technique, Harriet’s session offered lots of opportunities to learn together with paraplanning peers.

Technical pick-and-mix sessions

Ahead of the Big Day Out, participants were invited to pick two hour-long technical and financial planning client scenario sessions (from a choice of four). The topics were:

IHT Planning: Foundation

This session focused on helping participants strengthen foundational understanding of inheritance tax planning, and offer a structured refresher on core principles.

Through an interactive scenario-based discussion, they worked through client situations and explored different approaches, understanding the practical application of IHT planning principles and the trade-offs involved in different strategies. We explored the essential framework of “spend it, gift it, or insure it” and how these principles apply in practice. Issues covered included residence nil rate bands, tapering rules, and gifting allowances, alongside practical solutions like life cover. Participants also touched on the importance of Wills and Powers of Attorney, and even some discussion of deed variations.

IHT Planning: Advanced

This session tackled more complex planning scenarios involving multiple strategies and significant assets. Participants considered the complexities of advanced planning strategies, examining real-world trade-offs and the practical challenges of implementing sophisticated solutions, including the order of gifting, trust planning, and business relief considerations. With pensions now in the IHT net from 2027, the session explored how pension planning intersects with inheritance tax strategy. The session also examined when and how to use different planning tools, and the consequences of getting the sequencing wrong.

Retirement Income Planning: Foundation

If you wanted to strengthen your understanding of retirement income options and, particularly, building confidence around annuity recommendations, this was the session for you. Participants gained a comprehensive grounding in the core retirement income options available to clients with the session covering the fundamentals of drawdown versus annuities, tax-free cash decisions, securing essential income, and how State Pension fits into the picture.

Retirement Income Planning: Advanced

If you are comfortable with retirement income products but wanted to enhance your skills in creating comprehensive, client-focused retirement strategies that meet FCA expectations, then this was the session for you.

Participants explored sophisticated techniques for capturing client requirements, categorising needs into essential, desired, and legacy funds, and creating robust cash flow models. Groups discussed tax wrapper strategies, sequencing risk, and how to build retirement plans that will withstand regulatory scrutiny while truly serving client needs.

Paraplanner share a meal at a wooden picnic benches outdoors in a rural setting. The tables are filled with food and drinks. Behind the diners, farmland stretches to the horizon. In the foreground, a stone wall adds rustic charm. Foliage frames the scene, including vivid orange berries.
Your career, your choice: Designing your professional future

Paraplanner Zara Okoro invited participants to explore what really drives you professionally, where your strengths lie, and how to turn sector changes into career opportunities. Using a framework, Zara asked the Assembly to break out into groups of four and work through a series of questions which participants could use as lenese to explore where they are in their career today, and what they want to do next.

Whether you were early in your career or well-established, this session worked for anyone ready to take ownership of their professional development.

The ideal session for heading home knowing where to focus your efforts and how your future career growth could benefit both you and your employer.

The Assembly

Led by Big Day Out hosts Aleks Sasin and Chris Wormwell, and observing the Chatham House Rule, this open session handed the floor over to participants. Whether you wanted to dig deeper into topics covered earlier, raise something completely new, or simply pick the brains of the experts and fellow paraplanners in the room – it was entirely up to participants.

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].

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:

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:

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.

You can’t beat a good case study or two for discovering and consolidating technical knowledge, insights and practical ideas. 

So you’re going to love this special episode in which Steve Sayer of Utmost International explores not one, not two, but three case studies that – together – spotlight essential planning considerations for clients who have spent time overseas, and have invested abroad or hold offshore bonds.

Because in this hour-long case study investigation special, Steve steers us through time apportionment relief, personal portfolio bonds and deficiency relief.

Time apportionment relief: The lion’s share of the recording focuses on time apportionment relief – a vital consideration for clients who spend time abroad or return to the UK with existing investments. Steve shows how pre- and post-2013 rules can significantly impact tax calculations, explores the potentially valuable concept of ‘material interest periods’ and covers plenty more besides.

Personal portfolio bonds: Using case study scenarios, Steve illustrates the potential pitfalls of non-compliant policies and the hefty tax implications of deemed gains.

Deficiency relief: Steve offers a comprehensive overview of the applications of deficiency relief and considers its limitations.

It’s no accident that Steve’s sessions are some of the most popular among paraplanners. His forensic knowledge, clarity of explanation and use of case studies bring topics to life and make episodes like this a must-watch or listen.

Grab your CPD

Scroll down the page and you’ll find links to receive a certificate for your CPD records plus a link to download a copy of Steve’s slides.

Perennial Assembly favourite, Les Cameron of M&G Wealth, joined us to share his thoughts on Labour’s Budget on 30 October.

As well as the fact that Rachel Reeves made history by becoming the first woman to deliver a budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer, were there measures that are sure to feature when Budget history is written?

Or were the widespread jitters among savers and investors ill-founded as Labour delivered its first Budget since Alistair Darling’s on 20 April 2010 – no fewer than 5,334 days earlier.

What actually happened?

Were the headlines screaming about capital gains and inheritance tax? How about pension tax relief and fuel duty? Or national insurance and the British ISA? Perhaps even VAT on school fees or measures affecting non-doms? And what about a wealth tax?

Les was on hand to offer his thoughts and insights, and address lots of questions and comments posted by paraplanners in the Chat.

So did it turn out to be one of the most consequential Budgets of recent years? Was it more of a ‘pitch-rolling’ statement in preparation for future measures? Or something else altogether?

Tune in and find out.

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.

Working out what to do with your client’s wealth after their death is all part of a paraplanner’s life.

But settling on the best strategy can be complex – especially when missing a vital detail can have costly consequences.

So what can you do about it?

Stay up to date with the latest thinking, that’s what.

Which is why Neil Macleod, senior technical manager at M&G Wealth, joined us to explore death and trusts and paraplanning.

During this lunch-hour Assembly, Neil covered:

What will I learn from this online Assembly?

By the end of this Assembly, you’ll be able to:

No matter how complex the cases you deal with, this is a great chance to tune in to Neil’s expertise, and get up to speed on death and trusts.

Once upon a time, we were scouring our library of previous online Assemblies and realised something: we had never covered the topic of inheritance tax (IHT) planning using the alternative investment market (AIM)!

So we thought it was high time to fix that with a whistle-stop tour to discover why investing in AIM is right up there as a strategy for IHT planning.

Whether you’re new to paraplanning and in search of a primer, or you’ve been paraplanning for absolutely ages and want to make sure you really know what you’re talking about, tuning into this Assembly will be well worth your while.

To help us navigate the topic we were joined by the ideal tour guide: Canaccord Genuity’s senior investment director and head of IHT investments, Paul Parker. During our lunch-hour gathering we explored:

As ever, the chat was open for paraplanners to pose questions, or share ideas and observations – and the quality of contributions was great!

Watch Case Study Investigation: getting to the bottom of top slicing relief featuring Steve Sayer from Utmost International

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:

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.