FINANCIAL PLANNING

Most wealthy families maintain multiple advisors, such as an accountant, estate planning attorney and investment manager, each of whom is responsible for a single area of specialization within the broad realm of financial planning. The problem with this strategy is that no one is “managing” the team to ensure that the client's long-term financial planning goals are being met. This can result in missed opportunities and inefficient — or even conflicting — wealth management strategies.

At Legacy Trust, we give each of our families an integrated financial planning solution, based on our big-picture understanding of their interdependent investment, tax and estate issues. After we review your situation with you, we develop legal, estate and investment strategies that become the baseline against which our future performance on your behalf will be measured. Your team of professionals at Legacy Trust can then use their comprehensive financial planning expertise to help you achieve your wealth management objectives.

LEGACY PLANNING

Legacy planning differs from estate planning in that it goes beyond the orderly transfer of wealth to address the sustainment of wealth across multiple generations. A family’s success in sustaining its wealth from one generation to the next is no accident. It requires careful planning in several key areas, all of which the team at Legacy Trust will help you understand and implement.

At Legacy, we understand that no one one born into family wealth comes prepared with the knowledge or experience necessary to deal with the many challenges that wealth presents. To help our families through the challenges, we offer personalized tutoring sessions with our knowledgeable staff and external professionals.

We also offer a range of philanthropic planning services to address strategies for charitable giving, which has become increasingly complex. A well-designed philanthropic strategy is a significant component of effective financial planning, as well as a way to broaden the positive impact of your wealth in the community and the world. We work as a consultant to our families; advising them and monitoring their giving plans to ensure their wishes are being met.

Another important part of Legacy Planning are family governance meetings. These ensure that all members of your family are kept abreast of your wealth situation and any upcoming changes you may need to consider. They can be held twice a year, or more frequently if a family has a jointly owned or managed business. 

ESTATE & TRUST MANAGEMENT

Estate planning is a vital component of every wealth perpetuation strategy. An estate plan outlines how, when and where your wealth will be transferred after you are gone. Designed correctly, it can minimize your tax liability and help future generations effectively manage your family’s wealth. But if your estate plan is developed by someone without a full understanding of your family’s unique needs and objectives, it can undermine your strategies and diminish your financial legacy.

The professionals at Legacy Trust have extensive knowledge of estate planning issues, and we work closely with estate planning attorneys to ensure our families are well served. We also will explore how establishing a trust may help you achieve your wealth transfer goals. A trust, of which there are many types, establishes the terms under which your assets are distributed, and it can significantly reduce the amount of estate and gift taxes owed.

Personal and business tax planning also are essential to an estate plan, and they require continual oversight. After your plan has been established, we monitor the ongoing changes in federal and state tax laws to ensure your estate can be distributed according to your wishes.

The complexities of estate planning are a perfect example of how a family office, with a holistic view of your family’s situation, can help ensure that your goals are met and that unforeseen difficulties are avoided.

LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT

Our families tell us repeatedly that one of the biggest benefits they enjoy from their relationship with Legacy Trust is the simplification we have brought into their lives. Instead of having to manage multiple relationships with financial services firms, they now are able to get all of the information and services they need from a single team of trusted professionals. That’s a major reason they chose us to manage their financial lives.