Estate Planning

Estate-Planning for Wealth Preservation, Philanthropy, and Tax Mitigation

We provide thorough estate-planning services for business owners, corporate executives, and other high-net-worth clients in the US Virgin Islands. Our expertise empowers our clients to make sound decisions about preserving their wealth and financial legacies. For clients with philanthropic goals, we advise on all aspects of giving, from the selection of charitable beneficiaries to maximizing the tax benefits of charitable bequests.

We also have expertise in international estate planning, including distributing assets on the US mainland and mitigating tax liability to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In addition, we help clients plan for the preservation and distribution of assets held in other Caribbean islands and in Central America.

Estate Planning Close-Up

We have extensive experience in all aspects of estate planning:

• Trusts - Trusts can help mitigate tax liability, ensure proper management and distribution of assets after death, and preserve and maintain control of assets during your lifetime. Several types of revocable and irrevocable trust structures are available, depending on your needs. Most of our clients’ estate plans incorporate one, if not multiple, trusts. We help our clients make informed decisions about trust funding, selection of trustees and beneficiaries, and related matters.
• Wills - Although in many situations wills are not the preferred mechanism for distributing assets, they still play an important role in most estate plans. We utilize wills for appointing personal representatives and guardians and for ensuring that non-trust assets are kept out of probate, among other reasons.
• Probate - Although avoiding probate is a key goal of estate planning for many people, sometimes probate is obligatory. We help clients understand the probate-related implications of various estate planning options. We can also structure your plan to avoid probate as much as possible.
• Asset Protection - The best estate-planning strategy is not necessarily the best strategy for asset protection. We have extensive experience helping clients protect assets in the US Virgin Islands and abroad through trusts, entity structures, tax planning, and other strategies.
• Charitable Giving - Charitable giving, an important component of many estate plans, is not always as straightforward as it seems. Our clients rely on our expertise to ensure that their wealth will be distributed and used as they desire.
• Estate Tax - With our in-depth knowledge of both US Virgin Islands and US tax law, we help our clients mitigate or avoid estate tax liability.

Schedule an Initial Estate-Planning Consultation

For more information about our estate-planning services in the US Virgin Islands, please call 340-776-7235 or contact us online.