Case Study · When the whole family is involved
Supporting a Vulnerable Parent Across Borders
When Brian became terminally ill, his family helped him return to his home country for care. Two attorneys, in two countries, needed a framework for making good decisions about his affairs.
- The situation
- Brian, terminally ill and vulnerable, returning to his home country for long-term care
- Key areas
- Estate PlanningFamily GovernanceInternational Planning
- The outcome
- A coordinated cross-border structure and a framework for family decisions
The situation
A family approached us at a particularly difficult time. One of the parents, Brian, was terminally ill and considered vulnerable, and the family decided to help him return to his home country, where he would receive long-term care.
The move created financial and practical issues well beyond transferring money between countries. Brian had investments and financial interests across several jurisdictions, while responsibility for managing his affairs rested with two attorneys acting under separate powers of attorney, one in the UK and another overseas.
Both attorneys were committed to acting in Brian's best interests, but neither had significant financial experience, particularly in cross-border matters, estate planning or making complex decisions for a vulnerable person.
Where things became complicated
Two jurisdictions, two attorneys
Responsibility for Brian's affairs was split across a UK attorney and an overseas attorney, neither experienced in cross-border matters.
Long-term care needs
Reviewing his investments and arrangements against his new country of residence, and his long-term care and expenditure needs.
Tax
Understanding the tax consequences of his affairs in his new country of residence.
Family decision-making
The attorneys needed a way to make good decisions together, not alone.
The Montfort approach
01 Create a decision-making framework
We strongly recommended regular family board meetings, giving the attorneys and relevant family members a structured forum to understand Brian's position, discuss decisions and clarify responsibilities.
02 Coordinate across jurisdictions
The financial planning required coordination across jurisdictions. We reviewed Brian's investments and wider arrangements against his new country of residence, his care needs, tax consequences and the need to preserve flexibility as things changed.
03 Work with local advice
Rather than imposing a UK solution on somebody living overseas, we worked alongside the family's financial adviser in Brian's home country to build a coordinated solution reflecting both jurisdictions.
The turning point
This was about governance, not just investments.
The value for the family extended beyond financial planning. It was about creating governance around Brian's affairs, coordinating advisers across countries and providing a clear process for important decisions at an exceptionally difficult time.
The outcome
The result was a joined-up structure designed around Brian's needs, not individual investments or jurisdictions. The attorneys had an experienced professional framework supporting decisions they might otherwise have had to make alone, and the family board meetings gave them a model for making decisions collectively, documenting their reasoning and keeping Brian's long-term welfare at the centre of the planning.
What this case shows
01 Look at the whole picture
Brian's affairs spanned several jurisdictions and two attorneys, and needed coordinating as one picture, not separate pieces.
02 Good decisions need a good process
Regular family board meetings gave the attorneys and family a structured way to make and document decisions together.
03 A transaction isn't always a solution
What the family needed most was governance and coordination, not a single financial product.
Understand your financial life
Montfort combines financial planning with education and coaching, so clients understand not just what to decide, but why. Being an informed client is often what makes the right decision possible in the first place.
Client names and certain identifying details have been changed to protect confidentiality. The circumstances and planning challenges described are based on real client experiences.
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