You can be capable and still leave this undone
You make decisions every day. You manage money, look after people, perhaps run a business. Yet this keeps moving to next month.
It is rarely because you do not care. Estate planning can be difficult to judge from the outside. You may understand the problem without knowing whether the proposed answer is sensible.
Do you need a trust? Is that a reasonable price? Are you being advised, or sold to?
If the whole subject feels like a setup, that is not an unreasonable response.
You should be able to see the likely price before making an enquiry, understand why something is recommended, and hear when a straightforward will is enough.
That is the starting point at ONCE.
Start with your situation
You need a will, or yours needs another look
Put your wishes into words that reflect your family and circumstances today.
You are concerned about inheritance tax
Understand where your estate stands and which allowances, reliefs and planning options may apply.
You have been told you need a trust
Find out what it would achieve, what it would cost to establish and maintain, and whether it answers your concern.
You want someone you trust to act for you
Explore lasting powers of attorney for financial decisions and health and welfare.
You own a business, additional property or digital assets
Consider how they fit into your estate plan, including ownership, succession and access.
Someone has died
Understand what needs to happen next and where help with probate or estate administration would be useful.
You do not need to choose a service before speaking to Richard. Describe your circumstances. Start there.
Already had advice but something still doesn’t feel settled?
Some people come to us after they have already spoken to another adviser, received a recommendation or been given a quote.
Sometimes they understand what has been suggested but are unsure whether it is right for them. Sometimes they have compared several options and still feel that something has not been properly explained.
One client came to ONCE after speaking to several firms about inheritance tax planning. He had received different explanations and wanted to know which advice he could rely on before committing to the work.
We started again with his circumstances and documents rather than assuming that any previous recommendation was right. The assessment gave him a structured way to understand the issues, the recommendations and the order in which the work could be carried out.
The legal side and the tax side have to work together
The legal side determines who owns what, who inherits, how a trust works and who can act for you.
The tax side determines what inheritance tax and other tax consequences follow from those decisions.
A document can be legally valid and still produce an unnecessary tax result. A tax idea can look attractive and fail because the legal structure does not support it.
For example, a will may leave everything to the people you intended, while the proceeds of a life policy you still own may also form part of your estate for inheritance tax. What the will says and how the policy is owned both matter.
At ONCE, we look at the legal arrangements and the relevant tax consequences together. The aim is to understand what a proposed arrangement actually does before you sign it.
You have spent a lifetime building what you have. You should be able to understand the lawful options before unnecessary tax, poor structuring or a lack of planning determines what your family receives.
Tax may be due. But you deserve to know whether it is due because of your circumstances, or whether an available option has simply never been explained to you.
Sometimes a straightforward will is enough
Not everyone needs a trust. An elaborate arrangement does not earn its place simply by being elaborate.
It should solve a problem you actually have, at a cost you understand, with responsibilities you are prepared to take on.
Sometimes the right next step is a basic will. Sometimes it is a fuller assessment. Sometimes a solicitor or another professional is the better choice.
You should understand the reasoning before deciding.
Three steps, with room to stop
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1. Start with five questions and a short call
Answer five questions and choose a time for a 20-minute video call with Richard. Your answers are read beforehand, so the conversation starts with your situation.
The call goes over everything first: what your situation needs, whether the assessment is worth having for you, and the fee.
Where a straightforward piece of work would cover it, or nothing needs doing at present, you will be told so.
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2. The assessment: one hour, four steps
An hour on video, worked through the four R.I.S.C.™ steps, then a written report explaining your position, the options and the reasoning behind the recommendations.
Once it is booked and paid for, you complete a short questionnaire and an identity check, so the hour is spent on your position rather than on collecting facts.
The assessment looks at the relevant legal and tax questions together, so you can understand what is necessary, what may help and why.
The fee pays for examining your circumstances and the consequences of the recommendations. If you later commission documents, that analysis helps explain why the proposed arrangements are right for you.
We aim to send your written summary of the findings and recommendations within three working days of the assessment meeting.
The report is yours to keep. The assessment is paid work in its own right; its fee is not deducted from subsequent work. Fees for this and all other work are set out in the price guide.
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3. Decide what happens next
Take time to consider the recommendations.
You can act on the report yourself, ask Richard to carry out further work, or stop there.
If you proceed, the scope and fixed fee are agreed in writing before work begins.
Where work is better done in stages, the essentials come first. Bigger planning can follow once the facts are clear and you understand what it involves.
You deal with Richard throughout
Explaining your family and finances once is enough. You should not have to start again with someone new at each stage.
You work directly with Richard Ansah TEP, from the first conversation through to the completed documents, and when you return with a question.
Richard is a full member of STEP and a member of the Society of Will Writers.
ONCE is an independent estate planning practice, not a firm of solicitors. Where a matter needs an authorised professional, Richard will tell you.
A plan your family can work from
Without clear arrangements, the people closest to you may be left finding documents, working out what you owned and trying to establish what you wanted.
A good plan gives them clearer instructions: who inherits, who is responsible and where the important documents can be found.
For you, it means knowing what has been dealt with, what still needs attention and what should be reviewed as circumstances change.
You move from knowing it needs doing to knowing what you have done — and why.
What clients say
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I have been reassured and graciously directed through the trust and will making with Richard. His thoroughness, explanations and overall calm demeanour have been a God-send.
Pauline ScanlonGoogle review -
Richard provided a very thorough and detailed approach to estate planning for my family and I. Richard researched additional areas that were outside the scope of our initial discussion to ensure I had the correct information.
Naiomi CollettGoogle review -
Richard is a knowledgeable adviser who is progressing my situation, which has had no resolution for many years with other advisers. I am happy to recommend him.
Veronica SackeyGoogle review
Make a start without committing to more
Bring the question you have been putting off.
Answer five questions, then a 20-minute conversation with Richard that goes over everything first, including the fee.
Find out what your circumstances need, what it is likely to cost and whether you need further help at all.
Get in touch
Existing clients and general enquiries both welcome. Email reaches me fastest.
London E20 1BD