People decide to setup business entities for a variety of reasons. Some are starting or expanding a business. Some are purchasing rental properties. Others want to hold investment assets through them. The reasons are limitless. And no wonder people setup business entities, they can off many benefits, including: Business Entity Advantages Reaping these rewards, however, […]

Ah, the Internal Revenue Service. The good ‘ol IRS. What a notorious and feared organization; something I personally think they pride themselves on. I mean think about it, other than Belgians, who knows the name of Belgium’s tax agency? No one. Who around the world has heard of the IRS. Almost everyone. My point is, […]

With the US being a ‘common law jurisdiction’, it’s no wonder many Americans may be confused about foundations (and no, we’re not talking about *charitable* foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). This is because foundations are a concept derived from a ‘civil law jurisdiction’.

A buddy of mine contacted me in a panic the other day. The top tier law firm he and his wife had engaged to assist with a large U.S. real estate acquisition dropped them in the middle of the transaction! WTF? Oh, as it turns out, they also failed to properly advise them on the […]

What is a dynasty trust?  A dynasty trust is special type of multi-generational trust designed to allow generation after generation to enjoy the benefits of the assets placed in the trust without incurring transfer taxes, such as gift and estate taxes. For U.S. based clients, it even avoids generation-skipping transfer taxes. And, if properly designed, […]

Should I renounce U.S. citizenship (expatriate)? This is a question I get asked a lot. The answer is: it depends. People expatriate for a multitude of reasons. Some expatriate because they are obtaining citizenship from a country that doesn’t allow dual citizenship. Some renounce U.S. citizenship for tax reasons. Others for political or philosophical reasons. […]