Sarah and Duncan Smith are accomplished technology entrepreneurs who recently relocated to the United Kingdom with their young child. Having spent years building successful businesses and living in multiple countries, the Smiths were now ready to focus on long-term financial security, asset growth, and estate planning.
Referred to Lightbulb by a mutual friend and existing client, Sarah and Duncan were seeking a firm that could offer strategic advice tailored to high-achieving, internationally mobile families—particularly one that could deliver integrated financial, legal, and investment solutions.
Goals
- Develop an investment strategy to grow non-property wealth over the medium-to-long term.
- Establish a professionally managed share portfolio aligned with their risk profile and global lifestyle.
- Ensure asset protection and structure ownership appropriately.
- Build financial security over the next decade using current income and assets.
- Put in place a comprehensive estate plan to ensure wealth transfer to their child in a protected and tax-efficient manner.
Recommendations
Through close collaboration between Lightbulb’s Wealth Planning Team, Private Banking & Finance Team, Specialist Services, and our trusted legal partners, a coordinated strategy was developed to meet Sarah and Duncan’s unique circumstances:
- Established a discretionary trust to serve as the central vehicle for holding a broad range of passive investments—including direct shares, digital assets, managed funds, and ETFs—ensuring both tax efficiency and asset protection.
- Worked with the Private Banking & Finance Team to develop a structured gearing strategy, using equity in their existing property assets to fund investment expansion while managing risk.
- Facilitated a mortgage refinance to a more competitive lender with flexible credit policies, improving loan terms and supporting the couple’s longer-term financial structure.
- Partnered with a specialist estate planning legal team to replace outdated wills and implement:- New partner wills aligned with UK legal frameworks- Testamentary trusts to safeguard inheritance for their child and any future children- Powers of attorney and health care directives to ensure their wishes are respected across jurisdictions- Instituted an ongoing strategic review framework, ensuring all elements—from investment performance to legal structures—remain aligned with evolving goals and regulations.
Outcomes
- A clearly defined and professionally managed strategy to build diversified wealth outside of property.
- Strong asset protection and estate planning foundations, offering peace of mind for the future.
- Improved financial efficiency through refinancing and optimised loan structures.
- A cohesive, long-term advisory relationship, with Lightbulb acting as the central coordinator across financial, banking, and legal considerations.
- Confidence and clarity in managing their financial future while raising a young family in a new country.