Getting to grips with death benefits

DEATH BENEFITS

clock

Ian Linden, technical manager, pensions, at James Hay Partnership, highlights the importance of getting to grips with death benefits.

No one can say with any certainty they will be alive tomorrow, though, from a pension planning perspective, the ideal would be to die young – but not too young – and preferably before age 75! In such a scenario, the member should have achieved the maximum tax efficiency through their pension arrangement, namely – tax relief on their contributions, growth in a tax advantaged environment, no tax charge on uncrystallised funds and no IHT liability on the pension fund as a whole. Unfortunately, life is not that predictable and therefore any holistic financial plan has to attempt to encompass...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

Advisers concerned clients are being misled by AI - research

Advisers concerned clients are being misled by AI - research

More than two thirds flag concerns about clients turning to AI for financial advice

Sophia Panayi
clock 04 June 2026 • 1 min read
Standing out from the crowd: WIFA entry tips from judge Gillian Hepburn

Standing out from the crowd: WIFA entry tips from judge Gillian Hepburn

'The number of outstanding entries always makes judging challenging'

Gillian Hepburn
clock 04 June 2026 • 4 min read
Advisers report under 50s make up growing chunk of client banks

Advisers report under 50s make up growing chunk of client banks

Under 40s make up almost a third, FE Fundinfo research finds

Sophia Panayi
clock 02 June 2026 • 2 min read