Services · Advisory
Advice for every stage of a business — and beyond
Consolidated from the old advisory-services omnibus page and its thin standalone duplicates.
Business Start-up
Starting up or growing a business is an exciting and busy time — your focus is on developing sales, recruiting the right people and creating the right infrastructure. Being confronted with the various financial and legal aspects of a business start-up can be daunting, and this is where we come in.
All you have to do is contact us — don’t worry if you have little or no knowledge of the financial and legal implications of starting or growing a business, that’s our job. We can advise and assist you on:
- Structure — the most suitable legal structure for your business, whether Sole Trader, Partnership, LLP or Limited Company, including registration with Companies House
- Business Plan — drawn up from scratch, or reviewed if you already have one, including cash flow projections and budgets
- Finance — advice on the best source of finance and building solid relationships with your bank
- HM Revenue & Customs — we complete and check the registration forms for you
- Bookkeeping — VAT, payroll, National Insurance contributions and other requirements
- Record Keeping & Software — advice on the best accounting software for your business
Near the end of their financial year, many of our clients like us to help them put together a budget for the following year — an excellent way of making sure revenue milestones are achieved and costs are kept under control.
Family Business Advisory
We understand the unique challenges faced by family businesses and, through closely working with them, have helped to address and solve the competing conflicts that often arise between the family and their business.
We have advised family owned businesses and the families behind them for many years — from first-generation businesses with one shareholder to multi-generational businesses with over a hundred shareholders. We act as independent advisers, helping educate the family and siblings throughout succession planning: early planning is critical for a successful transition when introducing the next generation.
Probate & Will Services
We provide expert advice to deal with all aspects of the administration of an Estate following someone’s death. Probate is essentially a numerical exercise — a balance sheet of the deceased’s assets and liabilities on death. As Chartered Certified Accountants, we have extensive experience of accounts, taxation and the administration of an Estate.
As probate accountants, we deal with all aspects of Probate and Estate Administration, including:
- Research and assess the value of the deceased's Estate
- Prepare Inheritance Tax accounts
- Deal with Income and Capital Gains Tax liabilities of the Estate
- Gather assets and pay creditors
- Advise beneficiaries and executors of the tax implications of selling assets
- Prepare tax returns for personal representatives
- Provide final Estate accounts
Our fees are calculated on a time basis dependent on the complexity of the work involved, but capped at 1.5% of the gross value of the Estate (2% for foreign assets) — so you know the absolute maximum the job will cost, and we’re incentivised to work efficiently.
Trusts
Trusts offer many practical uses — you can use one to ring-fence assets that will pay for your care later in life, or to maintain the financial security of vulnerable people, such as a child with additional health needs or an infirm or elderly relative. Although the rules governing trusts are complex, the concept is relatively straightforward: you place your money or property into the control of a third party, who then manages and controls those assets for the benefit of others.
Our experts have extensive experience in planning, setting up and managing trusts, both onshore and offshore. We can help you with:
- Estate planning — organising your affairs to minimise the impact of Inheritance Tax on your estate
- Establishment and ongoing financial management and compliance, including preparation of accounts and annual self assessment returns
- Executorship — administering your legacy and dealing with distributions to beneficiaries
- Trustee service — management and oversight of your trust, including winding up arrangements once their purpose is served
In-house Training
Concerned about keeping your finance/management team up-to-date with the latest developments in accounting and reporting? Our team of expert trainers can complement your own internal development programmes, training individuals or groups through on-line or more traditional classroom methods.
Our training is tailored to suit your needs, delivered by specialist accounting presenters with robust technical skills, and engaging through worked examples and case studies — including web-based training for geographically spread finance teams.
Mortgage / Finance Health Check
We work with many clients to review and guide them on their options in terms of re-financing and looking for ways to lower their interest costs and charges.
CIS (Construction Industry Scheme)
The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) sets out the rules for how payments to subcontractors for construction work must be handled by contractors in the construction industry.
For clients in the construction industry, we act as agent and deal with CIS submissions monthly throughout the year, completing the annual submission at year end — you give us the task, and we give you more time. If you are a self-employed sub-contractor, we can also deal with CIS on your behalf to ensure the right deductions have been made.