Remember A Charity has launched a good practice guide for wealth advisers, designed to help advisers incorporate charitable legacies into wealth planning discussions and better support their clients’ philanthropic ambitions.
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.
The launch of the free guide, which was developed in collaboration with Boon Philanthropy Consultancy and Boodle Hatfield and with input from a host of industry experts, comes at a time when demand for values-led advice is increasing.
Research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) shows that 86% of high-net-worth individuals donate to charity and 93% of those who discussed philanthropy with their adviser found the conversation beneficial. This highlights a significant opportunity for advisers to better align clients’ wealth with their personal values and goals.
Further research from CAF shows that six in 10 high net worth individuals believe it is important for advisers to have a strong understanding of philanthropy. Meanwhile, economic modelling suggests that firms engaging clients in conversations about philanthropy could increase client lifetime value by almost 25% over ten years³.
Despite this, philanthropy and legacy giving in particular, are rarely core components of mainstream wealth planning services. The new guide aims to address this gap, equipping advisers with the confidence, language and context to incorporate these discussions into client relationships.
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. A 2025 study found that half of UK millionaires have already included a charitable gift in their will, with many more intending to do so. “This points to a clear opportunity for advisers to support clients in turning intention into action”, Remember a Charity said.
The guide outlines how advisers can play a pivotal role, not necessarily as philanthropy specialists, but as trusted professionals who can open up conversations, explore client values and connect them with the right expertise where needed. It also highlights the wider benefits of these discussions, from strengthening client relationships to supporting intergenerational engagement.
Clare Stirzaker, private wealth partner at Boodle Hatfield and chair of Remember A Charity’s Wealth Adviser Committee, said: “Legacy planning has always been a central part of private client work, but 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.”
Lucinda Frostick, director of Remember A Charity, said: “Clients increasingly want their wealth to reflect who they are and the impact they wish to have on the world. This guide has been developed to support advisers in responding to that shift, helping them to feel more confident introducing conversations about philanthropy and legacy giving, and to integrate these discussions naturally within broader financial planning.”
The launch of the new guide precedes Remember A Charity Week, which takes place from 7th-13th September. The national awareness week for legacy giving brings together charities, professional advisers and partners across the UK with the aim of prompting conversations around charitable legacies and the vital role they play in funding charitable services and encouraging more people to consider leaving a charitable gift in their will.
