Succession
When wealth passes between generations, the structure matters less than the conversation. What families get right, and where they stumble.
A new chancellor, and advisers ask for tax stability for wealthy families
John Healey became the UK's sixth chancellor in just over four years on 20 July 2026. Advisers want an end to constant speculation on inheritance tax and pensions.
Court of Appeal upholds 2003 'home loan' inheritance tax scheme in Elborne
On 13 July 2026 the Court of Appeal dismissed HMRC's appeal in Elborne, holding that a 2003 home loan scheme kept a £1.8m family home outside the estate for inheritance tax.
A promise, a changed lock and a £2m claim: Lambert v Lambert reaches the High Court
A son who gave up his career to care for his mother is suing his father over the family wealth. The case shows what happens when family promises never make it onto paper.
UK probate fee to rise to £526 from July 2026
The Ministry of Justice will raise the grant of probate fee from £300 to £526 on 13 July 2026, a rise of about 75%, alongside wider court fee changes.
A Partners Group founder is carving out his own unit inside the shared family office
Urs Wietlisbach is creating an independent investment arm within PG3 AG, the family office shared with his two co-founders since 2013. Succession planning is the stated reason.
Family governance that actually holds
Most family constitutions gather dust. What separates governance that actually holds a family together from the borrowed templates that quietly fail.
What belongs in a family charter
A family charter is only worth the behaviour it changes. What to put in one, what to leave out, and why the drafting matters less than the conversation.
An unsigned will, four siblings, and an AU$2 billion estate: the Andrianakos dispute
Melbourne property billionaire Nick Andrianakos died in Greece in March 2025. His children are now fighting over which version of his will is valid.
Solorz signed one document. A court in Vaduz made it permanent.
Polish billionaire Zygmunt Solorz transferred founder's rights in his Liechtenstein foundations, tried to revoke the next day, and lost. His media empire now belongs to his children.
Preparing the family for a liquidity event
Selling the business turns operators into investors overnight. The families who handle it well prepare the people, not just the deal.
The Murdoch trust: $3.3 billion to settle what an irrevocable document was supposed to prevent
Rupert Murdoch tried to rewrite a 1999 family trust to give Lachlan sole control of News Corp and Fox. A Nevada court blocked the move. A $3.3 billion settlement followed.
Preparing the next generation for real responsibility
Succession is not a single handover. How families prepare the next generation for real responsibility, and the mistakes that derail the transition.
Financial education for the next generation
Heirs are handed wealth and expected to steward it with no training. What real financial education looks like, and when it should start.
Trusts and succession: the questions that matter
Families reach for a trust before they have answered why. The structure should follow the intent, not the other way round.
The Safra succession: a $25 billion banking empire, three wills, and one son who walked away
Joseph Safra's death in 2020 triggered years of litigation within one of the world's wealthiest banking dynasties. The dispute is over. The family has restructured.
What we are reading about family offices
No noise, no selling. A measured note on the advisory landscape.