If you advise on wealth, protection, mortgages, retirement, or broader financial planning, you’ll recognise this change. That’s why more and more clients want their plans to reflect who they are, not just what they own.
This is why one of the reasons legacy giving is becoming a more natural part of planning conversations. In a recent guest piece for Remember A Charity, the message is clear: advisers are increasingly expected to support clients in exploring what matters to them, not only the technical structures.
So how do you raise the topic in a way that feels human, helpful, and appropriate? How can you support clients who already have a charity close to their heart, without adding complexity to your workload?
Why this matters now
Legacy giving sits in a sweet spot for many clients:
- It helps them express values and impact, not just distribution.
- It can be a meaningful way to support causes that shaped their life.
- It often deepens the quality of the planning conversation, because it moves beyond “what do I own?” into “what do I want my wealth to do?”
There’s also a practical point many clients appreciate once they understand it, one being that if a client leaves at least 10% of their net estate to charity, the inheritance tax rate on the rest of the taxable estate can be reduced from 40% to 36% (where the reduced rate applies).
This is not a reason to push a charity contribution into a plan, but it is a useful detail when charitable intent already exists.
The simple question that opens the door
Most advisers don’t avoid this topic because it’s unimportant. They avoid it because it can feel personal, emotional, or “not my place”.
A low-pressure way to address this is to make it values-led and optional: “Some clients like to leave a small gift to a cause that matters to them. Is there a charity you’d want to include in your planning, or is that not something you’ve thought about?”
It gives the client control, it doesn’t presume, and it invites a conversation rather than a commitment.
Where the Will comes in, and where clients get stuck
Even clients who are confident discussing investments can stall when it comes to Wills.
Not because they don’t care, but because it feels like a separate task, and they don’t want to get it wrong.
This is where having a trusted Will partner can make the difference between good intention and an actual plan.
If a client wants to include a charitable gift, it needs to be documented properly, in a valid Will, in a way that’s clear and easy to administer.
A practical way to support charity-minded clients
If you work alongside a charity, or you have relationships with charities in your community, here’s something worth knowing. At Secure Inheritance, we offer a free basic Will for charity supporters (where appropriate). It’s a simple way for charities to encourage supporters to get a Will in place, and a simple way for you, as a trusted adviser, to help clients take that step without friction.
It also creates a natural bridge:
- The client gets proper planning in place
- The charity benefits from stronger supporter engagement
- You deepen trust by helping the client follow through on what matters to them
This is exactly the kind of “joined-up planning” clients remember.
If you’re a professional partner, we’d love to work together
If you support clients with protection, mortgages, or wealth planning, and you’d like a referral partner who handles clients calmly, in plain English, and with genuine care, we’d love to connect.
If you work with a charity (or your firm has charity relationships) and you’d like to explore the free basic Will offer for supporters, speak to us. We’ll talk you through how it works, who it’s suitable for, and how to position it in a way that feels respectful and values led.
Because the best planning isn’t only about building wealth.
It’s about helping clients shape what that wealth means.
