Inheritance and will disputes are on the rise, and yet money and legacy remain a taboo subject in many households, especially among older generations.
Estate planning is a crucial part of your overall financial plan, but you might find it’s equally important to communicate those plans to affected parties.
Keep reading to find out why.
Inheritance and will disputes are on the rise
According to FTAdviser, two-thirds of over-55s have witnessed an inheritance dispute.
This figure might seem high, but The Economist reveals that legal disputes and court actions questioning the validity of a deceased person’s will have increased by more than 400% in the last 10 years.
The first quarter of 2026 saw the highest number of probate claims for any quarter on record. And, of course, many more disputes will have been settled before ever reaching court, so overall numbers are likely higher.
Disputes increased significantly during Covid for several reasons, including:
- A rise in DIY wills
- Witnessing issues due to lockdowns
- Questions around coercion.
The rise at the start of 2026 suggests that the trend isn’t slowing. This could be down to frozen allowances pushing more people into the Inheritance Tax (IHT) net and increasing potential inheritances.
And yet a quarter of over-55s have never openly discussed inheritance with their family.
Reasons for this likely include anxiety about discussing money, worries about potential fallout, and a sense that it’s “too early” to start planning a legacy.
5 simple ways communication can help to smooth inheritance planning
1. It’s never too early to talk about your legacy
Communicating your wishes to an advisor is often your first chance to think clearly about what legacy looks like to you. And the sooner you start, the better.
Estate planning and inheritance can feel unnecessary or even morbid to think about, but they should form part of your financial plans from the outset.
In the context of frozen IHT allowances and rising asset values, mitigating tax is important. There are strategies like lifetime gifting that can help to lower the value of your estate, but these can be most potent earlier in life.
You can gift as much wealth as you like during your lifetime, but outside of certain HMRC exemptions and allowances, these gifts become liable for IHT if you die within seven years of making the gift. Making a gift earlier in life gives you a stronger chance of surviving for seven years and could also mean your beneficiaries receive the money when they need it most.
Further reading: Why late estate planning could cost you… and what to do about it
2. Once you’ve discussed your plans, you can make a will… and keep it updated
Money you don’t plan to give away during your lifetime might be distributed via your will. Talking your estate plan through with an advisor can help you decide what portion of your wealth you intend to leave on death and how that should be distributed.
A will is the simplest way to make your wishes known, and our partnership with Penrose Wills can help to make that process as straightforward as possible.
Once you have a will in place, remember that you must keep it up to date. That means reviewing it regularly and after any major life milestones. A marriage can revoke a previous will, while a divorce, birth, or death can mean your priorities change, and you need to revisit your plans.
3. Difficult discussions ensure your wishes are known and understood
With estate planning in place to mitigate tax and a will to ensure your wishes will be adhered to on death, it’s time to make those wishes known.
Conversations around death, money, and inheritance aren’t easy, especially where you worry your wishes won’t be immediately understood.
Maybe you want to leave wealth unequally between your children, or there are physical assets that can’t be easily split. This is where the time spent planning with an advisor can help.
You’ll have had the space to form your plans and to think carefully about them free from outside influence, which should make explaining your decisions and the reasoning behind them easier.
If tensions do arise, at least all concerned parties will know your wishes, making animosity after your death more unlikely.
4. Communicating manages expectations and allows beneficiaries to plan
Your loved ones might not hear what they want to hear, but at least knowing and understanding your wishes will manage their expectations and allow them to plan.
We’ve written about why potential beneficiaries shouldn’t plan their retirement around a one-off event, and one of the main reasons is that they might not know what they will receive.
Honest and open communication can help to mitigate this, ensuring that your loved ones have a sense of what they might receive and can plan accordingly. If you opt to make use of the IHT-mitigation strategies mentioned above, you might even find you pass money on to beneficiaries when they need it most.
Further reading: Why you shouldn’t plan your retirement around a one-off event
5. Regular discussions with an adviser ensure your plans remain aligned with your wishes
As you’ve already read, estate and inheritance planning isn’t a one-and-done exercise. Life events and milestones can alter your plans and mean a will needs to be revisited. Government policies and legislative changes – such as allowance freezes and upcoming rules to bring pensions into the scope of IHT – can require a strategy change, too.
At Globe IFA, our expert team is on hand to help ensure your plan aligns with your wishes and that the tax-mitigation strategies you’re employing remain fit for purpose even if external factors change.
Get in touch
Please email hello@globeifa.co.uk or call us on 020 8891 0711 to discuss how Globe IFA’s expert financial advisors can help you manage your estate and legacy planning.
Please note
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate estate planning, tax planning or will writing.
