ALL FAMILY MATTERS ON LINE ARTICLES
This website shares articles with practical answers, recent developments and experiences about a wide variety of important topics for wealthy families all around the world. It also provides brief explanations of suitable and flexible structures, such as Foundations, Trusts, and Waqf, to manage and finance the family, its assets, and its philanthropy.
Suggestions are given for secure estate and safe tax planning, and the ways in which families can be organized and governed for example through family offices and with the help of family governance through documents such as a family charter with the relevant core family values, culture and understandings within the family. These and many more topics with which wealthy families are often confronted, are covered below.
Categories
- Charities, philanthropy and gifts
- Cross-border estate planning
- Education, training and preparation of next generation
- Emergency measures
- Emigration and immigration
- Estate planning
- Estate taxes and duties
- Family assets; art, portfolio, realty
- Family business
- Family disputes and solutions
- Family Governance and Family Charters
- Family Office
- Foundations and Trusts
- Last will and testament
- Living will
- Marriage contracts, nuptial agreements and matrimonial law
- Medical proxy
- Personal income tax
- Protection of assets
- Residency
- Structures to hold, control or manage family wealth
- Succession planning and transfer to next generation
- Tax Planning
Estate Planning for Testators without Direct Descendants
Estate planning and business succession planning for (ultra) high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI), entrepreneurs and top executives is traditionally centered around their core family, often consisting of direct descendants and sometimes spouses. However, an increasing number of testators either live in different personal circumstances or choose not to benefit their children directly, instead aiming to incentivize them to create their own wealth. This article highlights key considerations and potential pitfalls in estate planning for such individuals in a checklist format. Who Should...
Ruth Bloch-Riemer | Apr 11, 2025 | 4 min read
Another missed opportunity for the correct interpretation of Trusts in the Italian Tax System
Recognition of Foreign Trusts in Italy Trusts are not regulated by Italian civil law provisions. Foreign trusts (i.e. regulated by a foreign law) are recognized in Italy pursuant to the Hague Convention dated July 1st, 1985 which has been implemented in Italy in 1989. The aim of the Hague Convention is to establish common conflicts of law principles on the law applicable to trusts rather than introducing the trust concept into the domestic law of civil law countries. Tax Residency of Foreign Trusts in Italy As far as the tax aspects is concerned, a foreign trust may be considered resident...
Federico di Cesare | Apr 11, 2025 | 6 min read
Professionalising Family Business – Appointing Non-family Board Members
Family-owned businesses are the backbone of economies worldwide, contributing to employment and innovation. However, as these businesses grow, so do their complexities given the technicalities. One critical challenge Family-owned businesses face is professionalising governance while maintaining their legacy. A key step toward this transformation is appointing independent, non-family board members—a move that many family-run companies hesitate to take. But it could be a game changer. For instance, Sha, a third-generation director of a mid-sized medical enterprise in India. His grandfather...
M.R. Rajesh Kumar | Apr 4, 2025 | 4 min read
Key Aspects to Consider When Setting Up a Family Holding Structure
How can a family best structure its affairs? Setting up a family holding structure requires: careful planning to balance control, governance, asset protection, and flexibility. The structure should be well-established, tested over time, and allow family members to remain actively involved in management and decision-making. Only too often newly created holding entities such as trusts, foundations and companies are offered as a possibility. And too often these are taken on board when later it appears that there are many “young age” deficiencies. My advice is to only consider family holding...
Philip van Hilten | Mar 28, 2025 | 4 min read
