New research has shed light on changing approaches to writing wills. If you are estate planning in Cheshire or Oswestry, you might be interested in the results of a far-reaching study by legal software provider LEAP.
Its report reviewed data from platforms that handled 242,900 wills, of which 87,800 contained provisions for at least one trust. The LEAP team highlighted the significance of trusts as an integral feature of modern estate planning, factoring in not only tax considerations but also the fact people are generally leading longer lives.
With population longevity increasing and a rise in ‘blended’ families, coupled with a greater understanding of dementia prevalence, this all means that estate planning is shifting from a short-term inheritance approach to a more long-term asset management strategy which might last many decades. The data showed that 56% of wills with trusts are now written by people aged between 55 and 74. This is the period of life when intergenerational planning assumes a new importance; factoring in asset values and estate complexity. It also found that 36% of wills prepared in 2025 included one or more trusts. Of the types of trusts preferred, 70% included property, whilst 13% were for a discretionary trust and 9% for a life interest trust.
Some financial planners say that trusts are a practical and sensitive solution that can help mitigate some of the emotional complications of disinheritance disputes within families. With people living longer, family structures can become more complex, increasing the cost of ambiguity. Appropriate trust structures are a popular method of reducing the prospect of contested wills.
