Who’s the best person to advise on estate planning?

Your estate planning team is made up of three core professionals who each play a key role:

• Your financial planner takes the lead, building a complete picture of your finances, identifying priorities, and coordinating the process.
• Your solicitor prepares the legal documents, like wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, to ensure your wishes are legally watertight.
• Your accountant ensures your financial structures are tax-efficient and compliant.

Good estate planning is always a team effort. Sometimes your financial planner will coordinate that team, and other times your accountant or solicitor may take the lead. What matters most is that everyone’s advice aligns, so your plan works smoothly from every angle.

1, Wills & Powers of Attorney

Your financial planner helps you understand what needs to be covered and then works with your solicitor to make sure your will and Lasting Powers of Attorney reflect your financial situation and your wishes. These documents form the foundation of a sound estate plan.

To find out more: Why everyone needs Lasting Powers of Attorney

2, Trusts & Gifting Strategies

Trusts and lifetime gifting can be excellent ways to protect assets and support loved ones, but they need careful planning.

Your financial planner will model the long-term impact of gifts or setting up a trust, helping you strike the right balance between generosity and financial security. Your solicitor and accountant then ensure everything is correctly structured and tax-efficient.

Read more: What’s the difference between a will and a trust?

3, Inheritance Tax (IHT) Planning

Inheritance Tax affects more families than ever. According to HMRC, around 4.6% of UK deaths in 2022–23 led to an IHT charge, totalling £6.7 billion.

Your financial planner is best placed to assess your potential liability and explore strategies to reduce it, or make sure those who will inherit will have the means to pay the bill. From using allowances and exemptions, setting up trusts and lifetime gifts and Whole of Life insurance, they’ll then coordinate with your solicitor and accountant to put the plan into action.

You might also like: How much money can I leave without an Inheritance Tax bill?

4, Care Fees & Later Life Planning

Planning ahead for possible care needs can help preserve family wealth and reduce stress later on. Your financial planner will project potential care costs, explore funding options, and work with your solicitor to ensure the right legal protections are in place.

Find out more: How do I protect my children’s inheritance from nursing home costs?

5, Business Planning (for business owners)

Business owners have extra layers to think about when it comes to estate planning. Alongside planning what happens to the company when you retire, sell or pass away, your financial planner can help make sure pension contributions and profit withdrawals are as tax -efficient as possible, while your solicitor supports share structures and ownership agreements.

To find out more: How to plan a successful exit from your family-owned business

The short answer: your financial planner.

They’re the only professional who sees your full financial picture: your income, assets, pensions, family priorities, and lifestyle goals. That makes them ideally placed to coordinate your solicitor and accountant, ensuring every decision serves your overall objectives.

Rather than working in isolation, your planner acts as the conductor of your estate planning team, keeping everything in tune and moving in the same direction.

Because of Amber River’s national spread and professional partnerships, our advisers can introduce trusted solicitors and accountants to help deliver that seamless, 360° experience.

Effective estate planning isn’t a one-off exercise. It’s an ongoing process that evolves as your life, assets and tax rules change. With Amber River, you’ll have a central point of contact, your financial planner, supported by a team of legal and tax professionals who share your goals and priorities.

That’s how you protect your wealth, support your family, and leave a lasting legacy, with clarity, confidence, and expert guidance every step of the way.