Restructuring business advice/options

Annisele

Well, if they retain half the shares, you certainly won't have total control! But I still wouldn't sign anything without taking advice, "legal document" or not. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by legal document, but it's perfectly possible to be bound by your signature on something that wasn't drafted by a lawyer.

I think I do get the £30k thing now. I'm not sure it's necessarily a good idea, but that's going to depend as much on your parents' circumstances and wishes as on yours.

It sounds to me as though your parents don't want to entirely walk away from the business they've built.In general promises to make gifts in future aren't binding (there are some exceptions to that, but you'd need paid for professional advice if you wanted to go down any of those routes). If your parents gift you half the shares you'd likely be in a better position than you are right now, but I don't have any more to suggest.