Marketing Advice to Clients Who Inherited a Share Portfolio They Don't Understand

08 October 2026·5 min read

Quick answer: Clients who've inherited a share portfolio aren't searching for an investment manager — they're searching for "what do I do with my mum's shares," usually feeling some mix of guilt, confusion and fear of getting it wrong. Market with education first, not performance claims: content that explains, in plain terms, the kinds of questions an inherited portfolio raises (cost base, concentration risk, sentimental attachment to the holdings) earns trust long before a pitch ever appears. Keep anything touching tax or cost base general, not case-specific, and route the detailed technical work to a conversation with you and, where relevant, their accountant. ✨

An inherited share portfolio is one of the strangest financial moments a person goes through, because the money isn't really the point — the parent is. 💖 Clients sit on a parcel of bank shares their dad bought in the nineties and feel like selling them would be selling him. Financial planning marketing almost never speaks to that; it jumps straight to diversification and fees, which can land as tone-deaf when someone is still grieving. The practices that win this audience are the ones whose first piece of content understands the emotional weight before it says a word about asset allocation.

What most planners get wrong

The default mistake is treating inherited-portfolio clients like confident investors just because they technically own shares — many have never bought a share in their life and have no idea what they hold or what happens if they sell. The second is leading with a performance or fee pitch before establishing any of the basics. The third is ignoring the family dynamics entirely — siblings who inherited jointly, concentration in one parent's-employer stock, or portfolios the client feels they're not "allowed" to touch.

The Inherited Portfolio Nurture Sequence (copy-paste outline)

Email 1 — "You don't have to decide anything today."
Validates that there's no rush, outlines the three things worth understanding first (what you hold, what it's worth, what it costs to hold or sell), no pitch.

Email 2 — "The questions people usually ask us about an inherited portfolio."
Plain-English FAQ format: concentration risk, joint ownership with siblings, what "cost base" means in general terms, whether to sell or hold.

Email 3 — "If you'd like a second set of eyes."
Soft invitation to a no-pressure portfolio review conversation, explicitly framed as understanding-first, not a sales meeting.

First-call opening question: "Before we talk about what to do with it — tell me a bit about whose portfolio this was and what it meant to them." Let the answer run before moving to numbers.

A woman in her forties: inherited her father's parcel of bank and Telstra shares, bought over thirty years, no record of what he originally paid. She found the practice through a blog post titled "what to do with shares you've inherited and don't understand" and admitted on the first call she'd been too anxious to even open the share registry login for six months.

Two siblings, jointly inherited: one wanted to sell and split the proceeds, the other wanted to hold because the portfolio was "Dad's." The practice's content on "what happens when siblings disagree about an inherited portfolio" was the exact search that brought them in — together, which is unusual, but happens often enough with joint inheritances to be worth content of its own.

A client heavily concentrated in one stock: inherited a large parcel of employer shares from a parent's thirty-year career at the same company. Nervous about the concentration but equally nervous about "betraying" the loyalty the shares represented — content explaining concentration risk in plain, non-judgemental language was what moved this client from reader to enquiry.

How to actually build this marketing channel

Build search-intent content around the exact phrases people type during probate — "inherited shares what to do," "cost base of inherited shares," "should I sell shares I inherited" — rather than generic "portfolio management" pages. Partner with estate solicitors and accountants who handle probate, since they see these clients first. Run nurture sequences with patience — this decision often takes months, so a single-touch campaign will underperform badly against a slow, educational one.

💡 Never let a page or ad answer the cost-base or tax question directly. Explain that these are real and common questions, show you understand them, and route the specific numbers to a proper conversation with you and their accountant — generalising the technical detail protects you and builds more trust than a page pretending to give a precise answer it can't actually give.

Mistakes to avoid

Leading marketing with portfolio performance or fee comparisons before the client has even processed what they hold.
Using stock photography or copy that implies urgency ("don't miss out on maximising your inheritance") — it reads as predatory on a grieving audience.
Ignoring joint-ownership and sibling-disagreement scenarios, which are common enough to deserve their own content.
Stating specific tax or cost-base rules as fixed fact in public content rather than general, illustrative information.

Please note: general information, not personal financial advice — every client's situation is different, so check current guidance or speak with a licensed adviser before acting.

Frequently asked questions

Can marketing content explain cost base and capital gains for an inherited portfolio?

It can explain the concept in general terms — that an inherited asset typically carries cost base and tax implications worth understanding — but it shouldn't state specific rules or figures as current fact, since these details genuinely depend on the individual estate and change over time. Route anything specific to a real conversation.

How do we reach these clients without feeling opportunistic during a period of grief?

Lead with validation and education, not solutions — content that says "there's no rush, here's what's worth understanding" performs better and feels more appropriate than anything implying urgency or opportunity.

What's the best referral channel for this audience?

Estate and probate solicitors are usually the strongest partners, since they're already working with these clients during the exact window when the portfolio question first comes up.

Should we target this content at the children of our existing older clients?

It's reasonable, but be honest about its limits — not every client will loop you in with their adult children, and pushing for that introduction can feel transactional. A soft, optional offer lands better than a direct ask.

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Written by

Kate, founder of Chronically Online

I help Gold Coast and Brisbane businesses grow with branding, websites and marketing that actually works.

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