Folium Consulting -- "free" seminar on estate planning etc

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  • uncleal
    uncleal Posts: 1 Newbie
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    I received an invitation in the post following which I attended a seminar at the Bell Motel, Epping.13th April 2017. The first session lasted 60 minutes and following the coffee break there was a Q & A session. From the outset they made it clear that they are not authorised to sell or recommend financial products and that they derive their income from providing advice and assistance with wills estate planning and Powers of Attorney. The lecture was light hearted but very informative. Some of the seminar comprised of videos provided by "Which" magazine and the BBC. They provide examples where entire estates have finished up in the wrong hands due to wills being wrongly worded or where wills become invalid due to a change of circumstances. There was some very useful information about how to avoid or reduce IHT and I came away far more knowledgeable about such things. At no time did I feel under any pressure. In fact as I left I asked for two brochures without giving them any of my details. The partners comprise of an ex Grant Thornton accountant, a solicitor and an ex HMRC tax inspector. As our collective estate is unlikely to breach the new £1m tax threshold I will probably only use them to rewrite our wills and obtain Powers of attorney for me and my wife. The cost of this will £125 for the wills and £295 for the P O A. I will of course check the market first. All in all, I cannot see a problem with these people.
  • enator
    enator Posts: 109 Forumite
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    uncleal wrote: »
    .....All in all, I cannot see a problem with these people.

    Because I work for them :D
  • Malthusian
    Malthusian Posts: 10,944 Forumite
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    uncleal wrote: »
    Some of the seminar comprised of videos provided by "Which" magazine and the BBC.

    You're entrusting your Wills to people who can't film their own videos?
    They provide examples where entire estates have finished up in the wrong hands due to wills being wrongly worded or where wills become invalid due to a change of circumstances.

    Exactly why Wills should be drawn up by currently registered professional solicitors, not ex-accountants, tax inspectors and computer salesmen turned will writers.

    Why did you feel the need to leave a glowing opinion of them before they'd actually done the important bit, i.e. the will writing / POA drafting? It's like me going on TripAdvisor to say that the restaurant had lovely clean windows and looked very busy from the outside, and I'm sure that if I go in and eat the food will be lovely.
  • POPPYOSCAR
    POPPYOSCAR Posts: 14,897 Forumite
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    We attended one of their seminars last year.

    Yes it was informative and there was no hard sell.

    We were invited to fill out a questionnaire on the back of the brochure and give in if we were interested, which we did.

    They called us a few weeks later but we did not at the time want to take it any further and they have not bothered us since.

    As to their actual service I have no idea, so if any one has used them I would be interested to know.
  • hifibri
    hifibri Posts: 1 Newbie
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    I attended their seminar and was subsequently visited by one of their consultants. I have to say their approach truly is soft sell and I found them to be nothing but highly professional. Wholeheartedly recommend them.
  • Malthusian
    Malthusian Posts: 10,944 Forumite
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    Thank you yet another random person who joined this forum just to tell us how wonderful they are and is in no way connected with Folium Consulting.
  • Elijah_Bailey
    Elijah_Bailey Posts: 85 Forumite
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    Three sentences is a pretty poor commercial unless we are getting the "soft sell". Shame there was no mention of the "Which" magazine and "BBC" videos.
  • POPPYOSCAR
    POPPYOSCAR Posts: 14,897 Forumite
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    hifibri wrote: »
    I attended their seminar and was subsequently visited by one of their consultants. I have to say their approach truly is soft sell and I found them to be nothing but highly professional. Wholeheartedly recommend them.

    Not much info here.

    What did they do for you and how much did it cost?
  • kidmugsy
    kidmugsy Posts: 12,709 Forumite
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    We went to a seminar like this years ago (different firm though). It was a topic we knew nothing about; we gained from the lessons. Somewhere their name is on file in case we should wish to update our info and pursue their suggestions. I didn't feel under pressure at all.

    What was fascinating is that the seminar started on the assumption that people would be interested in using trusts as part of IHT avoidance. But it turned out that people were actually interested in using trusts to keep money out of the hands of their children's potentially divorcing spouses.
    Free the dunston one next time too.
  • Malthusian
    Malthusian Posts: 10,944 Forumite
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    kidmugsy wrote: »
    But it turned out that people were actually interested in using trusts to keep money out of the hands of their children's potentially divorcing spouses.

    If I want my children to have some money I'll give it to them, and trust their judgment as to who they've chosen to marry. Even if their spouse is thirty years younger, on their eighth marriage, keeps black widows for pets and is called Bumtmi Usbandov.

    Setting up complicated and tax-inefficient arrangements as a way of telling my children that I disapprove of their marriage is not something I can see myself doing.
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