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Double tax treaties (DTTs) sound like trouble. Double tax? In reality, DTTs are a taxpayer’s friend. Also known as double tax agreements (DTAs), DTTs are designed to prevent double taxation - on rare occasions they can even create a ‘double no tax’ outcome.

On the face of it, establishing one’s residency status ought to be relatively straightforward: count and compare the number of days spent in different countries, identify the country in which the highest number of days has been spent, and job done. If only it were that simple.

As expected, and as inadvertently flagged by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the 2025 Budget included a raft of changes for business owners. From tax hikes to changes to allowances and incentive schemes, there is much to digest.

Save As You Earn (SAYE) share schemes — commonly called Sharesave schemes — are a popular way for employees to save and invest in their company’s shares. They offer a great opportunity to benefit from growth in the company’s value, as well as being subject to beneficial tax treatment.

6 April 2027 is ‘notional pension property’ (NPP) day. That’s the day when planned reforms come into force that will make pensions ineffective as an inheritance tax (IHT) shelter.

A potentially disadvantageous tax position can arise when, for example, following a lifetime gift such as a potentially exempt transfer (PET), the value of the gifted asset has fallen at the point the donor passes away and before the gift becomes fully exempt.

As we approach the 'Great Wealth Transfer'—the largest generational wealth transfer in history—and navigate an increasingly complex tax landscape, estate planning has become more crucial than ever. Ensuring that clients have an appropriate and efficient estate plan in place not only benefits the client and their beneficiaries by ensuring optimal outcomes but also helps build relationships with the clients' wider network. This, in turn, aids in client retention, one of the biggest hurdles advisers will face during the 'Great Wealth Transfer'.

After someone dies, any ISAs they hold are effectively frozen and no money can be paid to beneficiaries during the administration of their estate. This is considered a ‘continuing ISA’, which during this period maintains its tax efficiency.

Use trusts appropriately, and you can gain a greater degree of certainty about the handling of your financial affairs, both for now and in the future.

When decumulation conversations start with our clients, this can signal the end of the accumulation journey, and the start of the most critical phase of a client’s investment and planning journey.