Essentially Wealth-Q3-2026

The latest issue of Essentially Wealth has landed. It comes out four times a year and it is worth a proper sit down rather than a scroll on your phone.

The one I would read first

The Inheritance Tax piece on page 4, and specifically the panel down the right hand side about 2027.

From April 2027, unused pension funds are set to be counted as part of your estate for inheritance tax. For years the standard thinking has been to spend everything else first and leave the pension until last. The article sets out why that may not stack up in the same way once the change takes effect.

I am raising this in almost every meeting at the moment, and it lands the same way every time. Most people have been told for years to treat the pension as the pot you touch last. If that is you, it is worth ten minutes of your attention.

Also inside:

• The great wealth transfer (page 3). Around £7tn is expected to change hands in the UK by 2050, and the research suggests something like 70% of family wealth does not make it past the next generation. Worth a read if you have been thinking about what gets passed on, and to whom.

• Changes to salary sacrifice (page 7). The National Insurance advantages get restricted from April 2029. One for anyone still working and sacrificing salary into a pension.

• The rise of the sabbatical (page 10). Not what I expected to find in a financial planning magazine, and probably the most interesting thing in the issue. Far more people want a career break than ever actually take one, and Gen X are driving it.

If you would like to read the full magazine from Quilter, click on the image below: