Good practice guide launched for wealth advisers

New guide aims to unlock high value legacy growth

Today, Remember A Charity is launching a good practice guide for wealth advisers designed to help advisers confidently incorporate charitable legacies into wealth planning discussions and better support their clients’ philanthropic ambitions.

The new guide, Integrating Charitable Legacies into Wealth Planning, provides insights and practical tools to help advisers initiate and navigate conversations around legacy giving, particularly in the context of estate planning, succession and long-term wealth strategies.

Developed in collaboration with Boon Philanthropy Consultancy and Boodle Hatfield, and with input from a host of industry experts, the guide comes at a time when charities are increasingly looking to engage high value supporters with legacies.

A significant opportunity for legacy giving

Charitable legacies represent a significant and growing area of giving, with an estimated £4.4 billion donated to UK charities last year through gifts in Wills. Remember A Charity’s 2025 study into the high net worth legacy market found that half of UK millionaires have already included a charitable gift in their Will, with many more intending to do so, conveying the opportunity for growth.

What's more, research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) shows that 93% of clients who discussed philanthropy with a professional adviser found the conversation beneficial. Further economic modelling indicates that firms having such conversations about philanthropy could increase client lifetime value by almost 25% over ten years. And yet, legacy giving conversations are rarely a core component of mainstream wealth planning services.

The opportunity for legacy giving

The new guide aims to address this gap, equipping advisers with some key principles for discussing philanthropy with clients, conversation starters and practical tips to help them incorporate these discussions into client relationships. It highlights how advisers can play a pivotal role, not as philanthropy specialists, but as trusted professionals who are well-placed to explore client values, open up legacy conversations and connect clients with the right expertise where needed.

For charities, greater confidence among advisers in raising legacy giving could help bring charitable giving into more conversations about estate planning and the future of clients’ wealth.

Clare Stirzaker, Private Wealth Partner at Boodle Hatfield and Chair of Remember A Charity’s Wealth Adviser Committee, says:

“In recent years, I have seen a marked shift in what clients are looking for from their advisers. The traditional, purely technical approach to philanthropy is no longer enough on its own. Increasingly, clients want something more holistic. They want advisers who can help them explore what matters to them, articulate the purpose of their wealth, and understand the impact they hope to have during their lifetime and beyond it.”