Estate planning is the process by which an individual or family arranges the transfer of assets for the benefit of future generations. An estate is the total property, real and personal, owned by an individual prior to distribution through a Curaçao trust, a Dutch Caribbean private foundation or a will. An estate plan aims to preserve the maximum amount of wealth possible for the intended beneficiaries and flexibility for the individual prior to death. A major concern for drafters of estate plans is tax law. In close cooperation with the clients’ tax advisers STvB provides its clients with a full range of asset protection and estate planning services.
Clients and practitioners from both civil law and common law jurisdictions may also consider the concept of the Dutch Caribbean private foundation in their overall tax, estate and/or asset planning structures. In many cases, the Dutch Caribbean private foundation can be implemented in a structure in lieu of an Anglo-Saxon Trust, with the added benefit that the private foundation is a civil law based entity with legal personality.
STvB has an extensive practice in assisting High Net Worth Individuals & Family Offices in asset protection planning, capital structuring and estate planning. Clients include the beneficiaries of some of the world’s finest art collections, heirs of large industrial fortunes, royal families and global tycoons.