Holding structures

How does a wealthy family hold its assets? In most cases through holding structures, such as international companies, trusts and foundations, funds, insurance structures and other legal vehicles. We at swisspartners call them “our toolbox”. The choice of the appropriate tool depends on numerous factors and the most important one is: what does the client wish to achieve? A famous actor who seeks some privacy in his financial affairs will need different tools than an internationally active businessman who needs to protect himself and his family from business risks such as litigation and bankruptcy. Other factors such as the residence and domicile of the family members, the location of assets in the home country and outside and the related legal environment and tax regimes, are only ancillary information which will help us to find and combine the right tools for each individual client.

Tax structures

Tax evasion is making headlines these days. Every wealthy family may be suspected of tax evasion and other illegal practices. A general suspicion which has its seeds in envy, political mismanagement and sometimes, real cases.

But still, there is a large demand for legal tax planning, in particular for wealthy families with internationally dispersed family members and assets. In view of the fact that the number of double tax treaties between countries is growing by the day, legal tax planning becomes more and more interesting and, of course, challenging.

With the help of a group of well known international tax firms in the UK, Europe and overseas, swisspartners develops, implements and manages tax planning structures for the long-term protection of private and business wealth.

Inheritance and estate planning

Very often, the most difficult challenge in the life of a wealthy individual is to accept and cope with his or her own mortality. It is of utmost importance to invest sufficient time and effort in well organized inheritance and estate planning for future generations. Badly worded, or even missing, last wills, unclear and overly complicated asset and debt structures, reliance on long-serving, very often semi-retired family advisers and other situations may lead to complications such as high tax burdens in different countries, never-ending disputes with local tax authorities and last, but not least, family feuds which jeopardize the lifelong work of the late patriarch.

swisspartners will consolidate home-based and international assets and provide a comprehensive overview of the family wealth. In addition, swisspartners will discuss appropriate planning structures with the owners of the family wealth and their advisers and design long-term strategies to transfer the family wealth from one generation to the next.