3 Reasons To Get Support With Your Estate Plan

Ravi Solanki • September 7, 2026

In my experience, there are three main schools of thought when it comes to estate planning on a personal level.

First is that you don’t need an estate plan, because your affairs are “simple”. Second, you know you need one but you feel confused by the options available or overwhelmed by the seeming enormity of the task.

Third, you feel like you should be able figure this out alone, but you keep putting it off.

Here are three reasons why I believe everyone should get professional support with their estate planning.

You don’t know what might change

It can be easy to think that your affairs will be simple to sort out, but you never know what could change. For example, marriages in the UK increasingly end in divorce, which can complicate your financial affairs.

Blended families, where people remarry later in life and may each have their own children from previous relationships, can also make your estate plan more complex.

Research carried out by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) found that 41 per cent of estate planning practitioners have experienced an increase in disputes over estate plans within blended step families, for instance.

Estate planning is also a task that it is easy to put off for later, but illness and accidents can happen, so it is best to be prepared – and help take some stress away from your loved ones – by setting your estate plan out now, rather than waiting.

2. Estate planning feels overwhelming

This is one of the most common reasons why my clients put off estate planning – and also the clearest reason to work with a professional estate planner. Estate planning is more than writing your will.

It also involves thinking about how your loved ones will pay any inheritance tax bill that might be due on your estate, as well as how you can pass on as much of your wealth as possible to those you love when you pass away.

The more you research what an estate plan entails, the more overwhelmed you feel and the more likely you are to procrastinate over estate planning. In fact, anxiety-related procrastination is incredibly common.

However, an experienced estate planner will be able to guide you through the process step-by-step, and do much of the heavy lifting that can help you sleep more easily and feel in more control of your affairs.

3. You don’t know what you don’t know

Although you might feel as though you should be able to sort out your own estate plan, the old adage “you don’t know what you don’t know” certainly holds true.

Getting help with your estate planning is not a negative reflection on your intelligence or abilities to sort this out by yourself. Rather, it is a practical and efficient way to approach what can be an emotional and complex situation.

If you aren’t an estate planner yourself, it can be easy to overlook mechanisms that could reduce your inheritance tax bill, or to set up different aspects of your estate plan, like trusts, in a way that is far from optimal.

By working with a professional, you eliminate the risk of these blind spots and will receive both practical and emotional support as you create an estate plan that is right for you and your family.

Which of these resonated for you? If you’d like support with your estate planning, I’m here to help. Book your Clarity Call today.

< Older Post

When Should You Start Estate Planning?

By Ravi Solanki • August 28, 2026

Too many people in the UK still shy away from estate planning, as evidenced by research indicating that 56 per cent of adults in the country do not have a will in place. This only falls slightly, to 53 per cent, for those aged 50 to 64, indicating that many people are sticking their heads in the sand when it comes to what will happen to their assets when they pass away. But, of course, a will is only one element of an estate plan. There are many approaches you can use to help protect the wealth you have accumulated throughout your lifetime to pass on to your family and ensure they continue to reap the benefits of what you’ve sown. When should you start estate planning? The reality is that the sooner you start estate planning, the better. This is because an estate plan is not an activity you do once and then ignore. It is a living, breathing plan that can adapt as your life changes. Many people wait until their later years before they start thinking about what will happen to their wealth once they pass away. While it is certainly better to engage with estate planning services in your 60s than not to do so at all, it is even more helpful if you start at a younger age. One of the reasons for starting earlier is that you can make your wishes clear and ensure you have a plan in place before there could be questions over your mental capacity. It is a confronting fact, but the number of people with dementia in the UK is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040 , which means if you leave this process too late you may not be in a position to take control of your estate planning yourself. I share this not to scare you, but to highlight a genuine risk that many people overlook. What are the benefits of early estate planning? There are many advantages to starting your estate planning as soon as possible, chief among them that it gives you control over your future. Estate planning is an overwhelmingly empowering process and I see my clients go from feeling nervous at the prospect to feeling both relieved and in more control of their finances once they have created an estate plan with me. Other benefits of estate planning include: Being in a position to adapt your approach to new legislation around taxation. Being able to maximise the money you give tax-free to your family and loved ones. Reducing your inheritance tax bill by making smart financial choices. Maximising the amount you can give to members of your family and loved ones as tax-free gifts can be an important part of an estate plan. Under current rules, when you give someone money, that sum becomes exempt from inheritance tax provided you survive for at least seven years after making the gift. Of course, there are more complex rules surrounding this process than merely surviving seven years, and there are annual limits on how much of your wealth you can give away and in what form. This is why working with an experienced estate planner is so important. I’m here to talk you through your estate planning options at any time, simply book a Clarity Call to get started.