Marc first came to us for advice on an inheritance matter and since then we’ve helped him with Wills, Trusts, and financial planning. Getting support on all these diverse topics from a single firm has helped Marc turn uncertainty into security for himself and his family.
Marc’s a university lecturer who made the move into academia after selling his training business.
His mother left him an inheritance in a Trust and Marc faced some complex tax issues for which he needed specialist legal support. His sister recommended Helen Clarke, a Partner in our London Tax, Trusts & Estates team.
Tax Planning in a Pandemic
Even though Marc has only ever worked with Helen remotely due to coronavirus restrictions, he was struck by how different Irwin Mitchell is to other firms.
“When I started working with Helen, she was on camera, working from home,” Marc recalls. “… it felt very human. It was a more enjoyable experience than going to some stuffy city office where a guy in a pinstripe suit meets you in the waiting room and offers you a mediocre cup of coffee. It was much more personable.”
After Helen had successfully advised Marc, she recommended that he also make some changes to his own Will and estate planning arrangements. She therefore referred him to Emily Wentworth, a solicitor in our Chichester office.
Emily drafted a new Will for Marc that took into account his latest personal circumstances. She also helped with related Trust documentation and handled an important change to a life insurance document.
Looking Ahead
Marc’s now thinking about retirement. While he’d like to keep a hand in the professional / academic world, he also wants the time to travel and keep fit.
Our wealth management team is helping Marc plan his finances so he can achieve that flexibility. He has a variety of pensions and investments which our financial planner George Uglow is advising him on.
Retirement planning involves a fine balance when deciding when to stop contributing to a pension and when to start drawing from it. Marc has found George’s guidance invaluable when considering these important lifestyle questions.
A Joined-Up Service
One thing that’s impressed Marc during his time with Irwin Mitchell is the consistency of working with a single firm for a wide range of legal and financial support.
“When you deal with different firms doing different things, they don’t talk to each other so you have to run between them and join the dots,” he says. “Under the Irwin Mitchell banner, these diverse professionals have access to each other. I don’t always have to be the one that is passing information from A to B. That’s quite good I think.”
And he does have high standards.
“As a qualified accountant with many years of business experience, I feel that I know when I’m getting good advice and good service and when I’m not. With the previous advisors that I used, I never really settled.
“I do feel good about the quality of the work that I’m getting from Irwin Mitchell and I do like the idea that it’s a one-stop shop. It’d been great that it all stays inside the firm. It’s good to know it’s all under one umbrella.”
Before meeting Helen, Marc felt “insecure because there were some outstanding issues that I had to get to the bottom of.” Now he feels “security and comfort” with a level of consistency that other firms simply can’t provide.
A Continuing Relationship
Marc’s still working with George and has even introduced him to his children, who're in their twenties. They’re at the right age to start thinking about mortgages, saving and other financial issues themselves, and George is ready to give Marc’s family that cross-generational support.
Marc is also working with our Trust administration team for assistance with managing a family Trust.
While Marc still hasn’t met any of his Irwin Mitchell advisors in person, that hasn’t stopped them building a successful, lasting relationship. “They’re all very personable, professional people. Even though we’ve never met, I felt there was a rapport - I liked them, they went on camera, we spoke freely. I did feel that it was a personal and very professional service.”
Marc looks forward to finally meeting George in person when he can.
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