Will Trusts
Trust provisions written into a Will can help control how certain assets are managed after death.
Protecting your family, your property and your legacy.
Cardiff based • Supporting families across England & Wales
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Family • Property • Inheritance • Future Generations
Trust Planning Across England & Wales
Understand whether a Trust could give your family
greater structure, control and clarity over how assets
are managed and passed on.
Trusts can form an important part of estate planning, but they are not automatically right for every family.
Evans Legacy Planning helps you understand the options in plain English and consider whether a Trust genuinely fits your family, property and long-term wishes.
Will Trusts Gift Trusts IPDI Trusts Family wealth planning
Plain English Complex planning explained clearly
Suitability First A Trust is not automatically recommended
Family Focused Built around your beneficiaries
Clear Fees Costs explained before proceeding
Payment Options Ask about current options
Trusts explained simply
What Is a Trust?
A Trust is a legal arrangement in which assets are managed by trustees for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries.
Different Trust structures can perform different roles. Some operate during your lifetime, while others are created through a Will and only take effect after death.
The important question is not simply “Can I have a Trust?” — it is whether a particular Trust actually fits what you want to achieve.
Official GOV.UK Trust guidance → The Three Main Roles
Settlor The person creating the Trust or placing assets into it.
Trustees The people responsible for managing the Trust
according to its terms.
Beneficiaries The people or organisations intended to benefit
from the Trust.
How a Trust works
A Simple Way to Understand the Structure
STEP 01
Assets
Property, money or other suitable assets form part of the Trust arrangement.
→
STEP 02
Trustees
Trustees manage the Trust within the powers and responsibilities given to them.
→
STEP 03
Beneficiaries
The Trust is operated for the benefit of the people named or described within it.
Different needs • Different structures
Types of Trust Planning We Can Help You Explore
Trusts are not one single product. The structure must reflect the purpose.
Asset Protection Trusts
Some families want greater structure around property and family wealth.
Explore Asset Protection →Gift Trusts
Lifetime Trust planning may be considered where somebody wants to transfer assets while creating rules around future benefit.
Explore Gift Trusts →IPDI Trusts
Immediate Post-Death Interest arrangements may be considered where one person should benefit first before assets eventually pass elsewhere.
Explore IPDI Trusts →Discretionary Trust Planning
These arrangements can offer flexibility where beneficiaries' future needs or circumstances may be uncertain.
Wider Legacy Planning
Trusts should normally be considered alongside Wills, LPAs, property, beneficiaries and the wider family picture.
Advanced Legacy Planning → Who may consider Trust planning?
Families With More Complex Needs
Parents & Grandparents
Families may want greater control over how and when younger beneficiaries receive inheritance.
Property Owners
Property ownership can create additional estate and inheritance planning considerations.
Blended Families
Trust planning may help balance the needs of a surviving partner with children from earlier relationships.
Vulnerable Beneficiaries
Direct inheritance is not always the most appropriate arrangement where somebody needs additional support.
Business Owners
Business interests and shares can create more complex estate-planning considerations.
Larger Estates
Families with property, investments and other significant assets may benefit from reviewing how everything fits together.
An important distinction
Will or Trust — What Is the Difference?
A Will
A Will records your wishes about what should happen to your estate after death.
- Names beneficiaries
- Appoints executors
- Can record guardianship wishes
- Can contain Trust provisions
- Operates primarily after death
A Trust
A Trust creates a structure under which trustees manage assets for beneficiaries.
- Can create additional control
- Can operate during life or after death
- Can help manage assets for beneficiaries
- Creates trustee responsibilities
- Can involve tax and administration consequences
Trust Planning Checker
Is Trust Planning Worth Discussing?
Tick anything that applies to your family. This is a conversation tool, not a recommendation that you need a Trust.
Your result
Tick any relevant points above.
Property & family wealth
Trust Planning for Property and Inheritance
Trust planning can become particularly relevant where families own property, businesses or more substantial assets.
The planning should start with what you actually want to achieve rather than selecting a Trust first and trying to make your circumstances fit it.
Ownership, beneficiaries, trustee responsibilities, tax treatment and long-term administration all need to be considered.
Property Understand how homes, rentals and other property
fit into your wider planning.
Children & Grandchildren Consider when and how younger generations should benefit.
Blended Families Consider competing family interests carefully and clearly.
Business Interests Shares and company arrangements should be reviewed
alongside personal estate planning.
Our process
How We Approach Trust Planning
Understand the family first. Consider the structure second.
01
Understand Your Goals
Discuss your family, property, beneficiaries and concerns.
02
Review Existing Planning
Look at existing Wills, Trusts, LPAs and relevant arrangements.
03
Identify the Need
Establish whether a Trust could add genuine value or unnecessary complexity.
04
Explain the Options
Discuss suitable structures, responsibilities and implications.
05
Build the Wider Plan
Coordinate the Trust with Wills, LPAs and wider legacy planning.
Responsible Trust planning
A Trust Should Never Be Sold as a Guaranteed Solution
Trusts are not automatically appropriate for every family and should not be described as guaranteed ways to avoid inheritance tax, care fees, creditors, divorce or other future liabilities.
Trusts create legal responsibilities and can have tax, reporting and administration consequences. Where specialist legal, accounting, tax or financial advice is required, this should form part of the wider planning process.
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Flexible ways to proceed
Ask About Finance & Payment Options
More comprehensive estate planning can represent a larger investment. Ask the team about finance or flexible payment options currently available for suitable services.
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See What Evans Clients Say
Read the latest independently published Evans Legacy Planning feedback on Trustpilot.
Cardiff based • England & Wales
Trust Planning Across England & Wales
Evans Legacy Planning is based in Cardiff and supports suitable Trust-planning clients across South Wales and wider England and Wales.
Telephone and video appointments can make it easier to discuss family and estate-planning needs without unnecessary travel.
Cardiff & South Wales
Newport, Swansea & Bridgend
Rhondda Cynon Taf & surrounding areas
Bristol & the West
Suitable clients across England & Wales
Related planning
Trusts Should Work With the Rest of Your Estate Plan
Trust planning FAQs
Common Questions About Trusts
What is a Trust?
A Trust is a legal arrangement under which trustees
manage assets for the benefit of selected beneficiaries
according to the terms of the Trust.
Does everyone need a Trust?
No. A Trust can add useful structure in some circumstances,
but it can also add unnecessary complexity where a simpler
Will or other arrangement is sufficient.
Can a Trust be included in a Will?
Yes. Certain Trust arrangements can be created through
a Will and take effect after death.
Can Trusts help protect children's inheritance?
Trusts can provide additional structure around how
inheritance is managed for children or other beneficiaries,
depending on the family's circumstances.
Are Trusts useful for blended families?
They can be. Some blended families want to provide
for a spouse or partner while preserving an intended
inheritance for children from previous relationships.
Can a Trust protect assets from care fees?
A Trust should not be presented as a guaranteed method
of avoiding future care fees. Ownership, purpose,
timing and individual circumstances all matter.
Do Trusts avoid inheritance tax?
Not automatically. Different Trusts have different
tax rules and some can create immediate or ongoing
tax and reporting obligations.
What does a trustee do?
Trustees are responsible for managing Trust assets
according to the Trust terms and their legal duties.
Can Evans Legacy Planning review an existing Trust?
A Family Legacy Review can help identify whether
existing Trust arrangements still fit your wider
estate-planning position and whether specialist
advice is required.
Are finance or payment options available?
Ask the Evans Legacy Planning team about finance
or flexible payment options currently available
for suitable services.
Does Evans Legacy Planning help outside Cardiff?
Yes. Evans Legacy Planning supports suitable clients
across South Wales and wider England and Wales.
Complimentary Family Legacy Review
Not Sure Whether a Trust Is Right for Your Family?
Start with your family, assets and objectives. We can help you understand whether Trust planning deserves further consideration or whether a simpler arrangement may be enough.