Beyond Wills: How Will Writers Can Offer Full Estate Planning

If you're only writing wills, you're serving perhaps 30% of your clients' needs. Every will client also needs LPAs. Many need trusts. Some need comprehensive estate plans. But if you don't offer these services, they either go without or pay someone else.

The revenue gap:

• •Will only: £300-£500 per client
• •Will + LPAs: £700-£1,200 per client
• •Will + LPAs + trust: £1,200-£2,500 per client
• •Complete estate plan: £2,000-£4,000 per client

Same client, same meeting, vastly different revenue. The additional time for LPAs is minimal (an extra 20-30 minutes in the meeting, plus processing). Trusts require more knowledge but the fees justify the learning investment.

What your clients are thinking:

• •"I should probably sort out power of attorney too..." (but you didn't offer it)
• •"How do I protect our house if one of us needs care?" (you didn't mention trusts)
• •"Is there a way to reduce inheritance tax?" (you didn't bring up IHT planning)
• •"Can you help with everything, or do I need a solicitor too?" (they'd prefer one person)

The conversion opportunity:

• •70-80% of will clients will add LPAs if you explain the need properly
• •30-40% of couples will consider a trust when you explain care home fee risks
• •20-30% of higher-net-worth clients want IHT planning
• •Nearly 100% prefer dealing with one person for everything

You're already in the client's home, already have their trust, already understand their situation. Not offering additional services isn't being modest — it's leaving them unprotected and leaving income unclaimed.

If you add just ONE service to your will writing practice, make it Lasting Powers of Attorney. Here's why:

Why LPAs are perfect for will writers:

• •The conversation flows naturally from wills: "Now we've sorted what happens when you die, let's protect you while you're alive"
• •The information overlap is 80%+ (you already have personal details, family structure, property info)
• •The drafting process is procedural, not complex (WILLO guides you through it)
• •Client demand is huge (most people know they should have LPAs but haven't done them)
• •Fees are excellent for the time involved

What LPAs are:

• •Health & Welfare LPA — Allows chosen attorneys to make decisions about care, medical treatment, and living arrangements if the client loses mental capacity
• •Property & Financial LPA — Allows attorneys to manage money, property, and financial affairs

The conversation that converts:

After completing the will discussion, simply say:

"There's one more thing that's just as important as your will — perhaps more so, because it protects you while you're still alive. If you were in an accident tomorrow and couldn't manage your finances or make decisions about your care, who would do that for you? Without an LPA, nobody can — not even your spouse. It takes months and thousands of pounds to get a court order. An LPA sorts this out in advance. Shall I explain how they work?"

Conversion rate: 70-80% of will clients add LPAs when you explain it this way.

Revenue impact:

• •Current: 10 will cases/week × £400 = £4,000/week
• •With LPAs: 10 cases/week × (£400 will + £500 LPAs) = £9,000/week
• •That's an extra £5,000/week — £250,000/year — from the same number of clients

Our free training covers the entire LPA process, from client conversation to OPG registration. WILLO software handles the document preparation with built-in OPG compliance.

Trusts are where the real money is — and where most will writers feel least confident. But they're not as complex as you think, especially with the right training and software.

Common trusts for will writers to offer:

1. Property Protection Trust (most popular)

• •Protects the family home from care fees
• •Client concern: "If I go into care, will they take our house?"
• •How it works: Severs joint tenancy, places deceased's share into trust
• •Fee: £500-£1,500

2. Life Insurance Trust

• •Keeps life policy payout outside the estate
• •Client concern: "Will my life insurance be taxed or delayed?"
• •How it works: Simple trust deed naming beneficiaries
• •Fee: £150-£300

3. Life Interest Trust (in will)

• •Protects assets for children while providing for surviving spouse
• •Client concern: "If I die and my spouse remarries, will my children lose out?"
• •How it works: Spouse can use assets during lifetime, then they pass to children
• •Fee: £500-£1,500 (included in complex will)

4. Discretionary Trust (in will)

• •Flexible trust for vulnerable beneficiaries or tax planning
• •Client concern: "My son has a disability/addiction/financial problems"
• •How it works: Trustees decide how and when to distribute assets
• •Fee: £500-£2,000

5. Nil-Rate Band Trust

• •Uses IHT nil-rate band efficiently for married couples
• •Client concern: "How do we reduce inheritance tax?"
• •How it works: First to die places NRB amount into trust
• •Fee: £500-£1,500 (as part of complex will pair)

How to learn trusts:

• •Our free training includes a dedicated trust module
• •Start with property protection trusts (most common, most demanded)
• •WILLO software has templates for all standard trust types
• •Practice with case studies before taking live cases
• •Build confidence gradually — you don't need to offer everything on day one

The positioning shift:

• •"Will writer" = commodity service, price competition
• •"Estate planner offering trusts" = specialist service, premium pricing
• •Clients perceive much more value from an estate planner than a will writer

Inheritance tax planning is where estate planning meets financial planning. It's the service that attracts wealthy clients willing to pay premium fees.

Why IHT planning matters now:

• •The nil-rate band (£325,000) has been frozen since 2009
• •Rising property values mean more families face IHT
• •The RNRB adds £175,000 but has complex conditions
• •Clients are increasingly aware of IHT and actively seek help
• •IFAs often refer IHT work to estate planners (they understand the tax but not the solutions)

What IHT planning involves:

1. Calculate the client's estate value (including property, investments, pensions, life insurance)

2. Determine potential IHT liability

3. Recommend appropriate mitigation strategies

4. Implement through wills, trusts, and lifetime planning

Common IHT solutions you can offer:

• •Nil-rate band trust wills (preserve both NRBs for the family)
• •Lifetime gift planning (PETs and CLTs)
• •Life insurance to cover the IHT bill
• •Business Property Relief arrangements
• •Trust structures to reduce the taxable estate
• •Charity gifts in wills (reduce IHT rate from 40% to 36%)

Pricing for IHT work:

• •Basic IHT review and will restructuring: £1,000-£2,000
• •Comprehensive estate plan with IHT mitigation: £2,000-£5,000
• •Ongoing annual review of IHT position: £300-£500/year

The client profile:

• •Estate value above £500,000 (millions of UK households)
• •Typically aged 55+ with property and investments
• •Concerned about "the taxman taking 40%"
• •Willing to pay for expert advice that saves them tens of thousands

Our free training includes:

• •IHT calculation fundamentals
• •NRB and RNRB rules and optimisation
• •Trust solutions for IHT mitigation
• •How to present IHT plans to clients
• •WILLO tools for IHT calculation and documentation

This is the service that transforms a will writer earning £40,000-£60,000 into an estate planner earning £100,000+. The knowledge gap is smaller than you think — especially with proper training.

You already have the foundation. Here's how to build on it:

Your expansion roadmap:

Month 1: Add LPAs

• •Complete LPA training module (part of our free programme)
• •Practice with WILLO's LPA templates
• •Start offering LPAs to every will client
• •Expected income increase: 50-100% from same client base

Month 2: Add simple trusts

• •Complete trust training module
• •Practice property protection trusts with WILLO
• •Offer to couples concerned about care fees
• •Add £500-£1,500 per case for trust work

Month 3-4: Add IHT planning

• •Complete IHT planning module
• •Practice estate calculations with WILLO tools
• •Start offering to higher-net-worth clients
• •Add £1,000-£3,000+ per comprehensive case

Month 5-6: Full estate planning service

• •Confident offering complete packages
• •Marketing yourself as an estate planner (not just a will writer)
• •Premium pricing reflecting comprehensive service
• •Attracting better clients through expanded offering

What our free training covers:

• •Module 1-2: Will writing fundamentals (revision for you)
• •Module 3: LPAs — process, documents, OPG registration
• •Module 4: Trusts — types, when to use, drafting
• •Module 5: IHT planning — calculations, strategies, implementation
• •Module 6: Client consultation and business skills
• •Module 7: Marketing and growth

WILLO supports every service level:

• •Will templates (you know these)
• •LPA document preparation with OPG compliance
• •Trust deed templates for all standard trust types
• •IHT calculation tools
• •Comprehensive estate planning packages
• •Client management for growing caseload

The income transformation:

• •Will-only practice: £40,000-£60,000/year
• •Will + LPAs: £70,000-£100,000/year
• •Full estate planning: £100,000-£150,000+/year

Same number of clients. Same number of meetings. Dramatically different income. Register for free training today and start your expansion.