Meet Ray Best
A career built on foresight
Throughout my career, I have been fascinated by one question:
Why do intelligent people and successful businesses sometimes walk straight into problems that they could have avoided?
Early in my career, I became Head of Method Studies after repeatedly resolving issues that had prevented previous studies from being completed. I discovered that the problem was rarely a lack of effort or expertise. More often, a crucial strategy had been overlooked, or an important risk had not been recognised.
That lesson shaped the rest of my professional life.
I went on to work with business owners, helping them improve profitability, cash flow and business value. Time and again I saw the same pattern. The greatest threats to a business were often not the obvious ones. They were the hidden risks that nobody had identified until they became expensive problems.
Many business owners were working hard to build successful companies but had given little thought to what would happen if a partner died, became critically ill, or wished to leave the business. This led me to specialise in Partnership Protection and Share Protection, helping owners protect both their businesses and their families.
My work in estate planning and inheritance tax naturally followed. Families spend years building wealth, yet poor planning can see a significant proportion of that wealth unnecessarily lost to taxation or exposed to avoidable risks.
Over the years I have contributed to Inheritance Tax Simplified, a respected and long-established reference work helping professionals and families understand complex inheritance tax legislation. I have also written feature articles for Tax Adviser magazine.
However, some of my most important work has involved highlighting risks before they become widely recognised.
My publication EBT Bombshell warned about the dangers of Employee Benefit Trusts at a time when many dismissed those concerns. Years later, HMRC’s actions confirmed the scale of the problem, and I worked with business owners seeking solutions to difficult situations that could often have been avoided.
Today, I believe we face another significant challenge.
Recent pension legislation threatens to alter the way many families think about retirement and inheritance planning. The consequences could affect retirees, business owners and future generations alike.
That concern led me to write Pensions Betrayed and Pension Paradigm. Both books examine the implications of pension and inheritance tax reform and encourage people to consider the long-term impact of the decisions they make today.
My objective has never been to sell financial products or promote fashionable ideas. It has always been to help people identify risks, understand their options and make informed decisions before problems arise.
If there is a common theme throughout my career, it is this:
The best time to solve a problem is before it becomes one.
Let’s Talk
Whether you’re a professional adviser seeking specialist support, or an individual or business owner planning for the future, Ray and the team would welcome the conversation.
Publications
Ray Best is best known for identifying financial, tax and succession-planning risks before they became widely recognised. His books and publications reflect more than three decades of helping business owners and families protect wealth and avoid costly mistakes.
