In this Insurance Institute of London (IIL) financial services webinar, Dr Sefian Kasem, Global Head of ETF & Indexing Investment Specialists, HSBC Asset Management, provided an insight into how Shariah principles are applied in mainstream finance.

Estate planning is becoming increasingly popular, in part thanks to the nil rate band remaining at £325,000 since 2008/09 and being capped at this level until 2025/26. With many family trusts, the settlor will usually act as one of the trustees and appoint other family members to act alongside them.

In this Insurance Institute of London Inclusion and Diversity webinar Rebecca Aston, Professional Standards Manager, CII, explored why adhering to professional standards includes treating people regardless of their protected characteristics. She also considered how the rise of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations is part of doing business ethically, and creating an ethical culture.

As a Trust and Estate Practitioner, I need to keep up with the last developments in the field. Recently I've noticed an uptick in cases involving a will dispute. In fact, the latest data from the Ministry of Justice shows 188 will-challenging cases made it to the High Court in 2019, 47% up on 2018.