Estate Planning and Settlement

Provides sophisticated wealth transfer and tax planning for high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals.

• Design and implementation of custom estate plans, including plans for families with unique dynamics, complicated tax positions and sophisticated wealth preservation needs.
• Design and implementation of sophisticated gifting plans, including generational trusts created with flexibility for control and ongoing tax treatment.
• Creation, modification and decanting of generational trusts that own family business holdings, to ensure harmony in the family business.
• Design and implementation of customizable wealth education programs with unique trust and financial education experiences, and activities and games that help prepare children in their teens and twenties to manage wealth and that help family generations manage wealth together.
• Administration and settlement of estates including estates for closely held business owners.
• Defense of estate and tax planning in an audit.

Family Business and Succession Planning

Prepares families to transfer wealth held in family or closely held businesses.

• Design and implementation of succession plans for family and closely held businesses.
• Counseling families on family and business governance and governance structures.
• Assisting families in recapitalizing operating entities and restructuring business units to facilitate transfer of business ownership after the current leader’s death.
• Assisting families in planning family meetings, and facilitating educational sessions at meetings.

Charitable & Planned Giving

Provides practical advice to donors, private foundations and public charities. Examples of services in this area include:

• Design and implementation of planned giving strategies, including use of charitable trusts and planning for large gifts.
• Advice to donors regarding charitable gifts and handling of unusual gifts such as closely held stock, partnership and LLC interests, real estate, art and collectibles.
• Advice to donors on entities, structures and vehicles for charitable giving, including the use of private foundations, donor-advised funds and supporting organizations.
• Creation of private foundations and other nonprofit entities including obtaining tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service.
• Counsel to private foundations regarding program-related investments and making properly documented grants.
• Counsel to private foundations regarding governance best practices, identifying “disqualified persons” and avoiding “self-dealing” and other prohibited transactions.
• Unwinding private foundations and creation of new charitable entities.
• Preparation of annual state and federal tax returns (Forms 990, 990PF and 990T) and any required reports.