STEP is the worldwide professional association for those advising families across generations.
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📢Important update about list seller scams
Please be aware that in recent weeks, we have seen an increase in 'list selling' emails claiming to have the STEP membership list, or an attendance list of one of STEP's conferences.
These emails are scams and STEP does not sell its membership lists.
👉Read more in our full list seller scam update: step.org/public/scams-and-al…
#ScamAlert #Alerts
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It's official - tomorrow marks one month till STEP Global Congress in beautiful Bermuda!
Our programme focusing on 'Navigating Trusts, Estates and Capacity in a Digital Age' will include sessions including:
💡Trusts, foundations and family structures in a global, digital age
💡AI – Lessons from the past shaping the future
💡A modern day approach to client capacity
Click through the images to see more of the beautfiul location.
📅Register now for STEP Global Congress: congress.step.org/
#STEPEvents #STEPCongress
ALT Countdown to STEP Global Congress 2026 in Bermuda, focusing on trusts, estates, and digital age challenges, one month remaining.
ALT Professional woman speaking at a podium during STEP Global Congress 2026 in Bermuda, focusing on digital age trusts and estates.
ALT Scenic view of Hamilton Princess Hotel and Beach Club in Bermuda with turquoise waters and sandy beach for STEP Global Congress 2026.
Over the past decade, the Czech Republic has introduced trust funds and expanded the use of foundation structures for private wealth planning.
Although these tools are now widely used in domestic practice, their legal design and practical operation differ in important respects from more familiar common-law and continental models.
In this Trust Quarterly Review article Vlastimil Pihera TEP details the legal and practical distinctions between trust funds and foundation funds as private wealth planning tools in the Czech Republic.
📖Read more in the article: tinyurl.com/2m8sd53y
#STEPCPD #Trusts
@KSB_Law
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Do you know how to 'Spot the signs' of financial abuse?
We created our 'Spot the signs’ campaign to provide information about how people can spot the signs of financial abuse.
We also have resources for what you can do if you have concerns, including which organisations can provide practical advice and support where you are.
Click through these images with different signs to watch out for.
👉Learn more about our campaign: step.org/mental-capacity/spo…
📢Share this post to help raise awareness of the signs!
#STEPSpotTheSigns #MentalCapacity
The England and Wales Court of Protection has granted retrospective ratification of Irwin Mitchell Trust Corporation's decision to appoint Irwin Mitchell Asset Management to handle the assets of a client with a disability, PW, even though in 2024 the appointment was ruled to be a breach of the self-dealing rule (Irwin Mitchell Trust Corporation v PW & Anor, [2026] EWCOP 53 T2).
💡Learn more in our Industry News update: bit.ly/4iAjn12
#STEPCPD #CourtofProtection
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A 15 October ruling of the European Court of Justice broadens the circumstances in which anti-abuse rules apply to the zero per cent dividend withholding tax exemption under the EU Parent-Subsidiary Directive (Council Directive 2011/96/EU, PSD).
👉Read more in our Industry News update: bit.ly/47BGYrZ
#STEPCPD #Tax
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Banking challenges have become one of the most significant operational and policy issues facing trust practitioners globally.
This webinar will bring together trust practitioners, compliance professionals and banking representatives to explore the factors driving these challenges, examine why trusts are often perceived as higher-risk clients and discuss how trustees and banks can work more effectively together.
The session will also mark the launch of STEP's Trust Banking Due Diligence Toolkit, a practical resource developed to help trustees and advisers better understand and meet banks' onboarding and ongoing due diligence requirements.
👉Sign up for the free webinar: bit.ly/3UiZfr0
#STEPEvents #Banking
ALT Free webinar on bridging the gap between trustees and banks, scheduled for 29 October 2026 from 12:00 to 13:00 UTC.
China’s new offshore tax rules increase the importance of governance, documentation and cross-border consistency for families, trustees, family offices and philanthropy advisors.
In this STEP Journal article Niko Deng explores how China’s updated tax rules for offshore trusts may affect cross-border families and philanthropic structures, and the questions advisors should ask to support compliance and longevity.
💡Learn more in the article: tinyurl.com/chkyvuxn
#STEPCPD #RSOW
📢Did you find this article helpful? Share it with your network!
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Did you know that people are already changing their financial plans in response to forthcoming inheritance tax changes to pensions in the UK?
A recent pulse survey of 115 STEP members found that four out of five (81%) practitioners surveyed have seen clients change their estate or pension planning because of the government's plans to bring most unused pension funds and death benefits into scope for inheritance tax.
Emily Deane TEP, Technical Counsel at STEP, commented: 'Without professional advice, the risks of getting it wrong are high and costly. People are potentially jeopardising their later life needs if they withdraw pension funds early, for example, without taking proper advice, or fully understanding the longer-term implications.'
Robin Melley TEP, from @matrixcapital, said: ‘Far too many people do not take professional advice and turn to the internet or a friend at the golf club or down the pub! This will inevitably lead to many people making unwise decisions that lead to poor outcomes for themselves and their families.'
📖Read more in our press release: bit.ly/4hYFH4n
#STEPProfile #InheritanceTax
ALT Portrait of Emily Deane TEP with a quote about risks of early pension fund withdrawal without proper advice or understanding long-term effects.
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Congratulations to all of the STEP members who successfully passed their Essay Route papers this week!
The Essay Route provides an opportunity for practitioners worldwide to demonstrate their expertise and progress towards TEP membership.
For some candidates, these results mark another step towards achieving the TEP designation. For those who have now completed all three papers, well done on this significant achievement.
👉Find out more about this route to STEP membership: step.org/essay
#STEPCommunity #STEPEducation
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What can you learn about financial abuse in the STEP Barometer report?
Click through the images to read some key insights from the report and an Expert TEP view from Holly Mieville-Hawkins TEP.
The report also covers:
💡Modern families and succession planning;
💡Evolving client values;
💡Changing technology and the role of AI;
💡Regulatory pressures and global mobility and
💡Professional standards and consumer protection.
👉Find out more in the STEP Barometer 2026: step.org/barometer
#STEPProfile #STEPBarometer
📢Did you find these insights helpful? Share this post with your network!
STEP member Heledd Wyn TEP has provided commentary for The @Telegraph about the 3,444 local authority deputyship orders made in England and Wales in 2025.
Heledd Wyn TEP commented: 'In my experience, local authorities are often applying for deputyship where there are contested proceedings, and attorneys are being investigated or removed.'
📖Read more in the article: bit.ly/4yxGONc
#STEPProfile #MentalCapacity
Who will be speaking at STEP Global Congress? 🌍
Dr. Mark Guishard, Chief Operating Officer and Professor of Practice, ASU Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences will be giving a keynote address on Day 2 of STEP Global Congress.
Join us to hear from Dr Mark Guishard as part of our programme 'Mind, Law and Machine: Navigating Trusts, Estates and Capacity in a Digital Age'.
Our programme includes sessions focusing on:
💡Trusts, foundations and family structures in a global, digital age
💡A professional’s approach to client capacity: can you spot the concerns?
💡Access denied? The growing challenge of banking for Trusts
📅Book your place today: congress.step.org/
#STEPEvents #STEPCongress
ALT Announcement of Dr. Mark Guishard as Day 2 keynote speaker for STEP Global Congress 2026 in Bermuda, November 24-25.
ALT Empty beach with rows of lounge chairs and umbrellas beside clear turquoise water and a shaded pavilion among palm trees.
ALT Secluded tropical beach with white sand, palm trees, and turquoise water surrounded by rocky cliffs and lush greenery.
STEP member Emma Santiago TEP, Director at Bridgestream and Chair of STEP Cayman Islands, has been interviewed by @CaymanFinance about her career and being a part of the STEP community.
Emma took the STEP Diploma as part of her career development and commented: 'It is is directly relevant to what we do every day, and it helps everything make sense in practice.
👉Read more in the article: bit.ly/484bzyv
📖Find out more about studying one of STEP's qualifications: step.org/qualifications-cour…
#STEPCommunity #STEPEducation
India's growing private wealth and increasingly global families have made succession planning, estate planning, asset structuring and family governance central to wealth preservation.
In this STEP Journal article Shabnam Shaikh and Devpriya Saswata explain how religious personal laws in India affect the treatment of pre- and post-nuptial agreements, and consider the implications for cross-border marital disputes.
👉Read more in the article: tinyurl.com/3hvz22kw
#STEPCPD #Prenup
@KhaitanCo
Recently King's College London in London, UK hosted a hybrid International Trusts Law Conference in partnership with Thomson Reuters and Mishcon de Reya. The event was supported by STEP and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).
Speakers included Dr Paolo Panico (worldwide Chair of STEP), Professor Philip Baker KC and Professor Gérardine Goh Escolar (Deputy Secretary General of HCCH).
💡Learn more about the event: bit.ly/4iafPBu
#STEPProfile #Trusts
Are you confident in exercising your professional judgement when facing a difficult decision?
Today is Global Ethics Day and the theme this year focuses on re-centering ethics in public life.
It is a great opportunity to reflect on ethical decision-making and more broadly, how to exercise professional judgement in scenarios where there is no obvious answer.
In a new STEP blog, Brett Martin, Head of Professional Standards at STEP, explores a practical approach to professional judgement and ethical decision-making.
It will help practitioners navigate situations where there is incomplete information, competing interests and unfamiliar risks or circumstances that relevant rules did not anticipate.
💡Learn more in the blog: bit.ly/4zJwu5O
👉Explore our Ethics Hub: step.org/ethics
#ProfessionalStandards #GlobalEthicsDay
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In the recent case of Curry v Curry, [2026] NSSC 295, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia suspended a co-executor from administering her mother's estate after determining that her opposition to a matrimonial property application generated a conflict between her personal interests and the interests of certain beneficiaries to whom she was obligated.
The respondent, Mary Curry, was suspended from all activities as co-executor of her deceased mother Anne Curry’s estate until such time that the matrimonial property application is determined.
💡Learn more in our News Digest update: bit.ly/4BeKeHg
#STEPCPD #Wills
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STEP has been providing commentary on upcoming changes to inheritance tax and unused pension funds and death benefits in the UK in the media.
Recent coverage includes Emily Deane TEP, Technical Counsel at STEP, providing insights for Professional Adviser (@Profadviser) and Jo Summers TEP sharing commentary in an article for @GBNEWS.
👉Read the article with commentary from Emily Deane TEP in Professional Adviser: bit.ly/4z4ctHi
👉Read the article with commentary from Jo Summers TEP in GB News: bit.ly/4zIIHb0
#STEPProfile #IHT
Have you explored the resources in STEP's Trusts Information Centre?
We have a trusts FAQ section which answers questions including:
👉For how long can a trust last?
The length of the trust can be specified by the settlor. Different types of trusts have different lengths depending on their purpose. For example, will trusts generally last for as long as the executors believe is necessary.
👉Who can benefit from a trust?
Any legal person (i.e. either individuals or companies) can be a beneficiary. Charitable trusts have charitable objects, and special purpose trusts can be created for other purposes or non-charitable objectives.
📖Learn more about trusts: bit.ly/4cY1Eww
#STEPCPD #Trusts
ALT Wooden blocks spelling TRUST on a weathered surface with a blurred blue ocean background.
How can a trust provide trustees with greater clarity when beneficiaries want their values reflected in investment decisions?
New draft US investment provisions for inter vivos trusts have been added to STEP’s Responsible Stewardship Toolkit.
The clauses are intended to give trustees express authority to consider responsible investment approaches aligned with beneficiaries’ interests, including the potential non-financial benefits of investing in accordance with particular environmental, social or governance factors, standards or themes.
They also provide guidance around trustees’ responsibilities and protections when taking these considerations into account.
Thank you to Ruth Mattson TEP, Nixon Peabody; Amy Szostak TEP, Northern Trust; Stefanie Lipson TEP, Greenberg Glusker; Susan Gary, University of Oregon; and Jennifer Goode, Bernstein Private Wealth Management, for contributing their expertise.
👉Read the new provisions: step.org/responsible-steward…
#STEPProfile #RSOW
ALT Image saying 'Responsible Stewardship Toolkit'.