Search Results

Speakers cover the basics of what is a Private Trust Company (PTC), including answering common questions families may have about them. Scott D. Weaver, J.D., General Counsel & Chief Fiduciary Officer, Willow Street Moderated by Scott Winget, Enterprise Market Leader, FOX

The death of a loved one is a difficult and emotional time for a family. There is often additional stress if you are appointed as the executor of the will and trustee of your family’s trusts, especially if the deceased had been the sole manager of substantial family assets and wealth. For an untrained person, it can be a daunting role. For these re...

When done well, a trustee’s service can have a profoundly positive impact on a family; when done poorly, a trustee’s service can create or exacerbate fissures within a family, dissipate family wealth, create personal liability for the trustee, and create a public spectacle that sullies the family’s good name and reputation. For key employees in fam...

Ultimately, how well your wealth transfer plan fulfills your legacy and meets the needs of the next—and future—generations depends on whom you name as your trustee(s). This makes your trustee selection one of the most critical aspects of an already complex wealth planning process. To help navigate this selection process, work with a framework built...

The use of a specific ownership structure to provide for the deduction of investment management fees has evolved since 1941 to most recently in 2018 when guidance was provided by the U.S. Tax Court in determining whether the activities of a family investment management company constitute a trade or business. With a review of the details of tha...

Serving as a trustee for your family can be a valuable experience for you, while also providing an important service to your family. But before you accept the position, make sure that you understand the role you will play for the family and are willing to accept the responsibilities and liability that come with it.

To effectively serve as a trustee, it's crucial to understand your fiduciary duties. Even trustees with the best of intentions can create liability for themselves by being unprepared for the job or by not fully understanding their obligations. Learn more about some of the common mistakes family trustees make that can lead to lawsuits and other...

Also known as a family trust company, a private trust company (PTC) is an entity that allows families to unbundle fiduciary services in furtherance of family and financial goals. In this overview and primer, learn more about the elements of the PTC structure, board roles and responsibilities, and when it makes sense to form a PTC.

A dynamic portfolio can help address a number of investment challenges that families of wealth face, including varying multigenerational preferences, unique tax considerations, domicile requirements, and specific beneficiary needs. Yet there is also such a thing as overcomplexity, which can waste time, cause confusion, decrease potential returns, a...

Trusts are valuable tools frequently used to transfer wealth within families, preserve and protect wealth, and reduce taxes. Understanding trusts and the role of the trustee is important for the people establishing trusts and the beneficiaries of those trusts. Building on this foundation, answers are provided to some questions about trusts and trus...

The traditional 60/40 portfolio—a mix of 60% stocks and 40% bonds—is suffering through one of its worst periods in history. Although the demise of the 60/40 portfolio has been predicted before, investors may now face a new regime of high inflation and rising correlations between equities and fixed incomes. For investors in hard-hit 60/40 portfolios...

Choosing a trustee is a major decision—one that may impact you and your family in many ways for generations to come. Essentially, when you establish a trust for the benefit of others, you are handing down your values through the terms of the trust and your contributed financial assets. And with an increasing number of trusts lasting for multiple ge...

Leading and sustaining an enterprise family that shares the ownership and stewardship of collective family assets can be challenging in the face of growing complexity and diversity. Fortunately, there is a path forward for families to ensure they thrive across multiple generations. Where To Begin Co-authors Sara Hamilton...

The expectations of an economic soft landing and favorable equity market in both 2023 and 2024 were possible due to the positive underpinnings of a healthy labor market, falling inflation, and a Fed pivot to rate cutting. In 2025, however, expectations are higher, policy shifts are underway, and several new factors that include tariffs, trade wars,...