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So it’s been 20 years since Beneficial Trust and Will Company was created in an ever changing market place with competitors coming and going we are proud that we are still going from strength to strength.
Established by MD Trevor Cross in 1999 with 5 advisers on-board, BTWC has grown to support over 300 advisers with a substantial 20,000 estate plans produced for clients all over the UK.
Through the last 20 years there have been many changes in the estate planning marketplace, not only going through two recessions, but legislation changes, the threat of regulation (which abated and which we are prepared for anyway) and a consumer mind-set that has remained steady in their view of ‘I’ll make my Will when I’m older’ – a challenging mind-set but one we have tailored our approach around to educate people to overcome this view.
Our members, advisers, clients and supporters
A key part of our growth and stable presence over the last 20 years has been our relationships with all our members, advisers, clients and partners, a valued part of our business.
We endeavour to provide a bespoke high end service that always meets expectations and over the course of time this has meant we have developed a reputation for providing a ‘niche estate planning’ service. We have supported many specialist IFAs in providing solutions for high net worth clients ensuring high value financial assets are secured for the future in line with client wishes. Our membership options have been developed purposely to support specific business needs of advisers and firms and are flexible for your business growth, with full end-to-end support - key to our service ethos.
Dealing with complex scenarios, strange outlandish requests and wide and varied estate and family circumstances has meant we have ‘probably’ come across nearly every scenario you can imagine and have always found a solution.
Providers and Competitors
20 years ago most people went to a solicitor to get their Will written, but the landscape of providers has changed, with the product offering now available via advisers, Estate Planning professionals and of course through an influx of online Will Writing sites, many of which have come and gone.
The ethos of BTWC has stayed the same throughout the last two decades, and that is to always provide a service for advisers and clients that can be trusted and relied upon for professionalism and expert support and guidance – and this has helped create loyalty amongst our advisers and clients, which we value more than anything.
The often inevitable complexity of Estate Planning is made easier through our face-to-face advice, and we support our advisers and end clients with easy to use forms, documents and processes that ultimately cater for client wishes, no matter how complex.
Accreditation and Partnerships
At BTWC we have always ensured we adhere to the highest of standards and have been committed members of The Institute of Professional Will Writing and The Society of Will Writers since the beginning.
In more recent years we have established strategic partnerships with a number of financial providers, widening our Later Life service offering to our advisers and members. This is part of our commitment to a fuller and more encompassing business model and service offering, supporting advisers in providing an accessible and value added portfolio of Later Life Planning opportunities.
We have partnered with sector leaders such as Certainty – the National Will Register, Age UK and the Royal Air Force Association to create an accessible Will and Estate Planning for clients to utilise and trust.
What does the future hold?
So the Wills Act 1837 is currently under review and the outcome may know be delayed but as and when we get the final conclusion, we are fully prepared to deal with the outcome and the possible implications it may bring.
A key area of development is the move to digitisation of the Will Writing process. There is the option to create Simple Wills online currently, but most people inevitably need more than this (though they may not realise it) and there are areas of digital development for this that we are focusing on as part of our ongoing growth plans. Our Cyber Security accreditation is just part of our commitment to ensuring a trusted digital environment for our business, clients and members.
But ultimately to provide a client with a full Estate Planning solution to suit them, our view is that a digital process will struggle to fullfil all requirements. We are moving to a digital arena, but the face to face advice still provides direct value to the client and is still a key part of what we offer now and in the future.
Trevor Cross. MD of BTWC comments “The last 20 years has been a real journey of learning, commitment, growth and understanding of this rather unique sector. We have had the pleasure of working with and helping so many people with a vast range of requests, and this has simply helped to strengthen our expertise. The loyalty amongst our advisers and members is a great asset to the business and we thank everyone for their support. The road has not always been easy but we are continuing our journey and we look forward to where it will lead us in years to come.”
Thank you!
So a big thank you to all our members, partners, clients and supporters who have shared the journey with us over the last 20 years. We look forward to the next 20 years, there is sure to be some big changes but we have a solid foundation upon which to meet anything head on and continue to provide our best in service for everyone.
