• New Trust adds increased financial flexibility to Standard Life’s tax-efficient client solutions 

Standard Life has today launched its new Flexible Reversionary Plan (FRP), enhancing its existing trust range and bolstering its suite of efficient inheritance tax (IHT) planning solutions.

The FRP is designed to provide clients with estate planning flexibility while permitting variable payments back to them, if needed.  This new trust is available on the Standard Life International Bond, underlining Standard Life’s ongoing growth ambitions in the Offshore Bond market.

The FRP enables clients to gift a Standard Life International Bond into trust while retaining the option to take regular, adjustable payments, known as reversions. These are noted in the trust deed and become available on future bond anniversary dates, depending on when the client thinks they’ll need funds. However, the reversions can be defeated by the trustees and paid to beneficiaries or deferred to a later year if the client doesn’t need them when the reversion date arrive.

Flexible access combined with control over when beneficiaries are entitled to funds can offer several benefits for estate planning. It allows for a structured transfer of wealth while effectively managing the value of the client’s estate for IHT purposes. This is increasingly important with pensions coming into scope of IHT in April 2027.

Investment growth in the FRP is also outside of the client’s estate from day one and after seven years the value of the Standard Life International Bond falls outside of the estate entirely.

Warren Bright, Head of Intermediary Advised & Private Clients Distribution at Standard Life comments:

“As changes to the wealth planning landscape throw previously solid estate plans into question, advisers are looking to ensure clients’ wealth is managed in the most tax-efficient way, and our trusts are designed to support them as they come to terms with this.

“The Flexible Reversionary Plan will help clients manage assets and address IHT issues in a flexible and tax-efficient way.

“Our research suggests advisers are re-evaluating the role that investing offshore may have in client portfolios moving forward*, and offering the FRP exclusively with the Standard Life International Bond demonstrates our ambitions in this market as we continue to grow the Offshore Bond business and maintain our top-three position.”

- Ends -

Media enquiries

Samuel Woods
PR Manager
+447977 844297
samuel.woods@thephoenixgroup.com

Darragh Leeson
Senior PR Manager
+447707 270001
darragh_leeson@standardlife.com

Notes to editors

* Research by Opinium on behalf of Standard Life. Two hundred IFAs were surveyed between 6th February – 12th February 2025.

About Standard Life

  • Standard Life is a brand that has been trusted to look after peoples’ life savings for 200 years.
  • Today it proudly serves millions of customers who come to Standard Life directly, through advisers and through their employers’ pension scheme.
  • Standard Life is part of Phoenix Group, one of the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement businesses. We’re proud to be building on 200 years of Standard Life heritage together.
  • Our products include a variety of Pensions, Bonds and Retirement options to suit people’s needs, helping our customers to invest and save for their future. We’re proud to offer a leading range of sustainable and responsible investment options.
  • We support our customers on their journey to and through retirement with comprehensive, easy-to-understand guidance so they can invest in the right way for their needs and plan a future they feel confident about.
  • The value of investments can go down as well as up and may be worth less than originally invested.