Are you set for the future?
Understanding the value of your assets now allows you to protect them for the future, but do you know what your estate is really worth?
Professional estate planning has never been more important – especially if your estate is worth £M’s. For example, if your estate is worth £5.5M, under the new IHT rules, you could be impacted by in excess of £670,000.
We have developed a new service that draws on our multi-disciplined team to help you make the most of your assets and plan for the future.
It begins by conducting a pre-death, HMRC-compliant, Red Book valuation, which is crucial for retirement and succession planning, and can be used to minimise future tax liabilities. In simple terms, the valuation can help protect your legacy, reduce tax risk, and give the next generation their strongest opportunity. The cost of doing it today is potentially much smaller than the high cost of getting it wrong later.
Red Book valuations give you a clear and realistic picture of your estate and carry independent credibility accepted by HMRC. This clarity is essential when planning for inheritance tax (IHT), as it ensures that any claims for relief, such as Agricultural Property Relief (APR) or Business Property Relief (BPR), are based on solid, evidence-backed figures.
Why use D&R for your strategic asset and succession planning?
D&R has introduced a new holistic service that can help you proactively plan ahead and make the most of your assets. Working with our multi-disciplined team and our network of specialists means you can access the right support across your business planning journey. We are supporting clients who are a long way from retirement, but are actively organising pensions, their business exit strategies, and succession plans to minimise their IHT liability.
A strong director led team of specialists
We have teams of specialists who work together to provide clients with a strategic asset and succession planning service. It is designed to minimise your taxation exposure as well as delivering the long-term sustainability of your portfolio of assets. The team is highly skilled and led by Directors with the right qualifications and decades of experience to ensure accurate valuations and make strategic recommendations for you.
Preserve and protect your financial stability
Succession planning is something that farming families now take seriously, not pushed down the list for a later date. We have a multidisciplined team on hand to support you. One of the most practical and powerful steps you can take is to obtain a professional Red Book valuation, which provides a fully integrated valuation of all assets: property, machinery, livestock, and deadstock, plus shares and diversified interests too. You can plan how to exit the business with a pension and hand over the business to your successors in the most tax-efficient way.
Support informed decision making
With changes to IHT and greater scrutiny from HMRC, having an up-to-date Red Book valuation has never been more important. Beyond tax implications, they help families make informed decisions and allow for fair and transparent discussions between generations, reduce the risk of disputes, and ensure that those taking over the farm are set up for long-term success. Whether it is restructuring, securing finance, or planning gradual transfers, valuations give everyone confidence in the numbers.
Your peace of mind
Red Book valuations put you in control and provide appropriate action plans to take now. If you decide to gift or transfer part, or all, of your estate, or upon death, a full Red Book valuation will be needed. Having an Agent engaged and a preexisting valuation should simplify the process at an already challenging time.
Ultimately, investing in professional Red Book valuations and taking advantage of our broader service experience is a sound, strategic move that will help protect your legacy, support your successors, and exploit the value of everything you have worked so hard to build.
For more advice or information on Red Book valuations, contact D&R Director Graeme Ferguson on 0131 449 6212 (07854 899 323) or email GF@drrural.co.uk
