Videos

South Dakota is widely recognized for its dynasty trusts, asset protection, and modern trust laws, but it also plays an important role in certain state income tax planning strategies. One of the most sophisticated examples is the Incomplete Gift Non-Grantor Trust, or ING trust, a specialized structure that, in the right circumstances, may help reduce […]

Every Texan, regardless of wealth, benefits from a thoughtful estate plan. While advanced trust planning often focuses on tax strategies and asset protection, the foundation of estate planning is much more practical. It ensures that trusted individuals can manage financial and medical decisions during incapacity, directs how assets should pass at death, and provides clear […]

South Dakota’s trust laws are often recognized for their approach to tax planning, asset protection, dynasty trusts, and directed trust structures. One of the state’s less widely discussed innovations, however, is the Family Advisor, a role designed to provide continuity between beneficiaries, trustees, and generations of family members. Within South Dakota’s directed trust framework, responsibilities […]

Traditional trusts generally place administration, investments, distributions, and fiduciary oversight in the hands of a single trustee. As family wealth has become more complex, that model may not always provide the specialized expertise needed to oversee operating businesses, real estate, concentrated investments, and other assets intended to benefit multiple generations. South Dakota’s directed trust framework […]

For many Texas families, a ranch represents far more than the value of the land. It may be a family home, an operating business, a gathering place, and a connection to generations of shared history. Preserving that legacy requires more than transferring title from one generation to the next; it requires a long-term plan for […]

For married couples, a revocable trust can provide an effective framework for avoiding probate and managing how assets pass at death. When a couple owns highly appreciated assets, however, another consideration may be the income tax basis of those assets after the first spouse dies. A community property revocable trust can address this issue by […]

Family governance is one of the most important, yet often overlooked, elements of multigenerational estate planning. For generations, settlors have relied heavily on trustees to preserve their intentions and maintain the family principles they hoped would guide future beneficiaries. Under traditional trust law, however, preserving family governance was never truly the trustee’s role. A trustee […]

Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs) are one of the most widely used strategies in modern estate planning. They allow you to move assets out of your taxable estate while maintaining indirect access through your spouse—creating a balance between tax efficiency and long-term control. But structure matters. The effectiveness of a SLAT depends entirely on how […]

When selecting a trustee, families often compare large institutional trust companies with smaller independent firms, focusing on differences in scale, cost, flexibility, and service. For a trust intended to continue for generations, however, the more important consideration is what happens as trustees, firms, and the people responsible for administration inevitably change over time. A durable […]