
Trusts
Trust Planning | Protecting Your Assets, Securing Your Legacy
Trust planning can be one of the most effective ways to protect your estate and ensure your assets are passed on exactly as you intend. At Simon Hall Will Writing Services, we offer straightforward advice on trusts and estate planning, tailored to your family, your values, and your wishes.
Whether you’re thinking about registering a trust, setting up a trust in your Will, or simply exploring your options, we’re here to guide you.

What Is a Trust?
A trust is a legal arrangement between three parties:
- The settlor (you) – who sets up the trust
- The trustees – who manage the trust assets
- The beneficiaries – who benefit from the trust
When you set up a trust, your assets (such as your home or savings) are owned by the trust rather than by you personally. For example, your property could be held by The Joan Smith Family Trust instead of being owned outright by Joan Smith.
Think of it like car finance: if you have a car on a lease, you don’t legally own it – but you can still use it and benefit from it. Trusts operate in a similar way.
Why Set Up a Trust?
Trusts are not just for the wealthy. They’re a powerful estate planning tool that can:
- Protect your assets from future risks, such as care fees or remarriage, by using an asset protection trust
- Ensure your estate passes to the right people at the right time
- Provide support to vulnerable or young beneficiaries
- Offer potential cost and complexity savings when passing on your estate.
Start with a Free Consultation
Your first step costs nothing – but it could mean everything to your family’s future. We’ll listen, answer your questions, and help you plan the legacy you want to leave.

When Are Trusts Useful?
Here are some of the most common reasons clients choose to set up a trust:
Divorce Protection
Without a trust, assets passed to your child could be lost in a divorce settlement. A trust helps keep family wealth within the bloodline.
Bankruptcy Protection
If your beneficiary runs into financial trouble or business failure, creditors may come after their assets. A trust may help shield those assets from claims.
Remarriage After Death
If your partner remarries after your death, a trust can ensure your estate ultimately passes to your children – not to a new spouse or their family.
Long-Term Care Planning
Care home costs can quickly reduce the value of your estate. While trusts cannot be used to deliberately avoid care fees, when set up early and appropriately, they may offer some protection – especially when care needs are not foreseeable at the time of setting up the trust.
Inheritance Tax Planning
Every individual has a £325,000 Nil Rate Band (NRB) and a £175,000 Residential Nil Rate Band (RNRB) if passing a property to direct descendants.
That gives many married couples a total allowance of £1 million before inheritance tax applies. However, if house prices and asset values rise – and the NRB doesn’t – your estate could be liable for significant tax in the future.
Carefully structured trusts (alongside financial advice) may help reduce the taxable value of your estate, especially if you survive for 7 years after transferring assets into trust.
How Much Does a Trust Cost?
Trusts, unlike standard wills, are more complex legal arrangements. The average cost of setting up a trust is approximately £1,200.
Because of this, we only recommend trusts if there’s a good reason for you to have one – for example:
- Protecting your home from unintended future claims
- Allowing someone to live in your home after you’ve passed away
- Protecting a vulnerable or disabled beneficiary
- Keeping assets within the family bloodline
We’ll always explain the costs and whether a trust is right for your circumstances before proceeding.

Types of Trusts We Commonly Advise On
At Simon Hall Will Writing Services, we can help you consider options such as:
- Discretionary Trusts
Flexible trusts where your trustees decide when and how assets are distributed. - Property Protection Trusts
Often used in wills to protect a share of the family home for children or loved ones. - Trusts for Vulnerable or Disabled Beneficiaries
Protect benefits and ensure long-term support. - Bereaved Minor or 18-25 Trusts
Ensure that children inherit at a responsible age, with support in the meantime.
Setting Up or Registering a Trust – What’s Involved?
We’ll guide you step by step:
- Free consultation
We’ll understand your goals and explain your options. - Designing the right trust
Based on your family, estate, and wishes. - Preparing the legal documents
Clearly drafted and legally compliant. - Registering the trust
Where required, we’ll ensure it’s correctly registered with HMRC. - Ongoing support
For updates, amendments, or future advice through our specialist trust planning services.
Start Your Trust Planning Today
Making the right decisions about trusts can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our friendly, experienced team offers straightforward advice and professional trust planning services to protect your family’s future and give you peace of mind.
Whether you’re looking through your options for inheritance trust planning, protecting property for loved ones, or setting up a trust as part of your will, we’re here to help every step of the way.
📞 Book your free consultation today and take the first step towards securing your legacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Will and a trust?
A Will sets out your wishes for after your death, while a trust can take effect during your lifetime or after you pass away. Trusts can provide more flexibility and protection, especially if you want to safeguard assets for children, vulnerable beneficiaries, or future generations.
When should I consider using trust planning services?
You may want to view trust planning services if you have significant assets, own property, have children from previous relationships, or want to protect family wealth from risks like divorce, bankruptcy, or long-term care costs.
Can trusts protect my home from care home fees?
Trusts cannot be set up solely to avoid paying care fees, but when created early and for genuine reasons, they may provide some protection if care needs arise in the future. Timing, intent, and professional advice are crucial.
He was friendly and put you at ease and went through various scenarios of the will process and mentioned things which we probably hadn’t thought of.
Then sent through a proof of the wishes we wanted and drafted the main will.
Communication was good though out .
Would definitely recommend to family and friends
If you are looking for a trustworthy, reliable Will writing service,then I recommend that you give Stephanie a call .
Wendy with the writing of our wills. Everything was clearly explained and our wishes were thoughtfully considered. Our meeting at home made a big difference when discussing sensitive information and it was a smooth and stress free process. Wendy’s communication was fantastic throughout.
I would highly recommend Simon Hall Will Writing Service.
I was visited at Home by Dudley Moore Who was , pleasant and very informative, Guiding me through the process with ease, And very patiently explaining everything to me.
The price I paid was the same that was quoted to me on the phone, No hidden extras.
I would not hesitate to recommend this sperm to anyone.
Thank you so much.
Simon gives practical advise and support to the decisions that need to be taken during these times.
Simon is very thorough, he makes an initial visit to you at home to talk through the decisions that need to be made...sends draft documents for review....then revisits for signatures.....and in the case of LPAs submitted and received back before revisiting to ensure each page is signed ensuring it's watertight...
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Simon recently facilitated my special needs brother in remaking his LPA by modifying his language and taking more time in explaining each stage. He made the process as stress-free as possible.
I know that if I needed further advice regarding the LPA Simon and his team are easily contacted
Highly recommend Simon Hall Will writing and LPA services in Exeter
From the outset it is clear that Simon knows his trade inside out, and how to deal with what can be quite a sensitive subject for many. He is very professional in the way he makes you feel very much at ease, explains the whole process in detail, and keeps you informed every step of the way. Simon and Linda's attention to detail is second to none and I would highly recommend them and their services.
It was quite complicated as we were bringing two new families together.
Simon explained the process thoroughly and made it feel simple to put together.
We would highly recommend the team.
Thanks
Peter and Tracy
They were friendly and helpful from the very start and have been very understanding regarding delays i have imposed on the whole process for various reasons.
Their guidance and suggestions have been invaluble.
Sadly I cant say the same for Solicitors that I have used previously.
If you need help in dealing with this essential task, we would highly recommend Simon.
This gave us the opportunity to ask, go over and get answers to a great many questions and get real clarity to those aspects we did not understand.
Simon gave us a very relaxed, friendly but professional service and I would only recommend this company as there was no other service provider willing to come to my home for the process.
If you prefer a genuine hands on and personal approach to Will preparation, then I feel will only tick all of those boxes through Simon Hall Will Writing Services, a friendly and truly professional service provider. We are extremely happy not only to have chosen Simon but also with the outcome we achieved. A genuinely big thank you to Simon, a deserved 5 stars
From our 1st enquiry to completion, the entire service was seamless.
Lovely relaxed approach in the comfort of our own home. Simon is professional & very knowledgeable, making the whole process easy to understand.
We would highly recommend their services without hesitation.
Thank you, much appreciated 😊
He was very professional and informative giving me plenty of time and advice enabling me to understand what I required for the future.
I received the draft for review the next day. This was very impressive and in a time scale faster than I expected.
I recommend Simon and Linda’s will writing services.
Simon visited us in person, which we thought was a really professional & personal touch in this age of technology. Through chatting Simon identified that an aspect on our house deeds didn’t reflect our Will and was able to get this amended for us.
The whole process of setting up our LPAs was quick and easy - made all the more an easy experience through Simon’s personable nature. Thank you
Simon and Linda visited the home in order to catch my wife and I together. They were very helpful, comfortable to be around and communicate with, and knowledgeable. Their service was quick, concise and well simplified. They also helped us complete the process when we could afford it, without hassle or stress.
Excellent service, highly recommended.
I have recommended them to family and friends.
I happily endorse their service and following recommendations to family two are benefitting from the excellent service he provides.
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