Research Center
Estates and Trusts
An estate is the total property, real and personal, owned by an individual prior to distribution through a trust or will. Estate planning is of paramount importance during the wealth distribution phase of an investors life and should be designed to allocate the real and personal property to an individual's heirs while at the same time minimizing estate taxes.
Wills and trusts are common ways in which individuals dispose of their wealth. Trusts, unlike wills, have the benefit of avoiding probate, a lengthy and costly legal process that oversees the transfer of assets. Sometimes, though, it will be useful to make inter vivos gifts (gifts made while the donor is alive) in order to minimize taxes.
Retirement
Whether you intend to retire at a traditional age or much earlier, it is critical during the wealth accumulation phase of your life to understand the relationship between your income sources, expenses, inflation rates, and what you want to do in retirement. After an intense discovery process, we develop a plan that is designed to meet our client’s goals. After the planning is finished, we develop an investment strategy that should help meet that plan.
Tax Planning
Will Rogers once said that “the difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time congress meets…” It’s a bit humorous and a bit true. The average person will spend more during their life on taxes than just about anything else- this is particularly true for wealthy individuals. We work with some of the most experienced CPA’s and accounting firms on the East Coast to develop strategies designed to minimize and defer taxes so that our clients investments are properly positioned.
Investing
Effective investing is a little like building a house. Most often, it takes a whole team of people to get the job done—a plumber, electrician, carpenter, carpet layer, roofer, and more. To get your financial house in order also takes a team of professionals—banker, tax preparer, attorney, insurance agent, employee benefit counselor at your place of work, stock broker, or financial planner. You need to know when to use which professional, if at all, and for what purpose. Our role is to understand your needs and build this team for you. While we typically manage all of our clients’ assets, we could not do so without the help of some other experienced advisors.
Bond Ladders (Client Education)
Employee Stock Options: NQO's and ISO's (Client Education)
Risk Management
Risk, simply defined is the possibility of suffering loss. Whether loss in an investment portfolio, the loss of a stream of revenue, property, or almost anything else imaginable. Risk and opportunity go hand in hand and to completely eliminate one, often eliminates the other. To some degree, the inherent risk in a venture can be both quantified and mitigated. Managing risk for our clients may involve the use of equity options* to collar a large block of stock or various forms of insurance products.
Charitable Giving
Henry David Thoreau’s thoughts on charity were that “if you give money, spend yourself with it.” This is good advice and while we are truly blessed to be in the position to give to others, it is first important that we do it. It is also important that we place our money for the right causes in good and capable hands.
We help our clients by developing the philanthropic component of their financial plan and researching the various charitable institutions and donor advised funds with whom they may be interested in placing their trust and funds.
Executive Services
Whether you’re a foreign corporate executive seeking to manage your investments in the US while you’re away from your home country or a domestic executive seeking advice about your stock options, setting up a 10b5-1 plan, or simply executing transactions within the constraints of Rule 144, we will advise, plan and execute on your behalf. As a byproduct of our portfolio strategy, we regularly work with corporate executives and are familiar with the regulations surrounding their investments.
Advantages of SEC Rule 10b5-1 for Corporate Insiders (pdf , html)
(Article written for VP Magazine)
Employee Stock Options: NQO's and ISO's (pdf , html)
(Client Education)
Helping Your Kids
This topic is fairly important and covers both college planning and education about wealth. After a lifetime of creating wealth for your family, one of the most important things one can do is to educate his or her heirs about preserving that wealth. It’s no secret that one of the most common provisions today in estate planning is the “spendthrift” clause, which is written with the intention of protecting an estate from foolish spending. We have provided these links in hopes of helping you accomplish this. The most effective lessons in family wealth management should be learned at home well before drafting the estate plan.