The biggest mistake I see in international tax and wealth planning is advisors who lead with solutions before they understand the problem. They know their jurisdiction, they know their structures, and they recommend what they know, whether or not it's the best answer for you.
I work differently. I start by understanding your full picture: your family, your businesses, your assets, where you live, where you're going, and what you want to achieve. Only then do I devise a strategy.
Every engagement begins with a conversation. I need to understand not just your financial situation, but your life. Your family dynamics, your business interests, your goals, your concerns, and your timeline. The better I understand the full picture, the better the strategy.
I don't use intake questionnaires or delegate this to someone else. I do it personally because details matter, and the most important details usually surface in conversation, not on a form.
Once I understand your situation, I design a strategy tailored specifically to you. This might be relatively straightforward: a single jurisdiction, a single structure. More often, with the kinds of clients I work with, it's complex. A solution that spans multiple countries, multiple structures, and multiple areas of law and tax.
I'm not loyal to any jurisdiction or any product. I'm loyal to finding the right answer for your situation. I've recommended solutions in dozens of countries and have even lobbied governments to change their laws when existing frameworks didn't serve my client's needs.
When it comes to US international tax, my core technical expertise, I do the substantive work myself. The US tax code is arguably the most complex in the world, especially for individuals with multinational lives, businesses, and assets. This isn't something I delegate. It requires deep knowledge that comes from two decades of practice and from having navigated the system personally, including my own expatriation.
For jurisdictions outside the US, I assemble the right specialists in each country: lawyers, tax advisors, fiduciaries, bankers. Professionals I've vetted and worked with, often for years. I don't hand you a list of names and wish you luck. I act as the quarterback. I brief the team, coordinate the work, and integrate everyone's advice into a single, coherent strategy.
This is where most multi-jurisdictional planning falls apart. Clients end up with five advisors in five countries, none of whom are talking to each other, each optimizing for their own jurisdiction without seeing the whole picture. My job is to make sure that doesn't happen.
A strategy that lives on paper is worthless. Once we agree on the plan, I manage the implementation. I coordinate with local advisors, oversee the establishment of structures, and ensure everything is executed properly and in the right sequence. I stay involved until the strategy is fully operational.
For many of my clients, the relationship doesn't end at implementation. Laws change. Circumstances change. Families grow. Businesses evolve. Many of my clients retain me on an ongoing basis to ensure their structures remain optimized and their planning stays current.
As a retained client, you have direct access to me by phone, WhatsApp, and email for scheduled reviews, quick questions, or consultation on major decisions.
Over two decades, I've built relationships with leading professionals across dozens of jurisdictions. My network includes the best trust and foundation specialists, tax advisors, corporate lawyers, fiduciaries, bankers, and residency and citizenship specialists in the markets that matter most.
But my role extends beyond advisory work. I regularly help clients and contacts within my network raise capital, connect family offices with co-investment opportunities, structure deals, and establish inter-family office credit facilities.
This isn't a service I sell. It's a natural extension of the relationships I've built. When your clients become your friends and your friends become your clients, helping them succeed in every dimension becomes second nature.
I don't offer a fixed menu of services. Every client's situation is different. But these are the areas where I most frequently work:
Multi-jurisdictional tax planning for individuals, families, and businesses with cross-border interests. Minimizing global tax exposure while maintaining full compliance.
Designing structures to protect wealth from taxes, legal threats, political instability, and family disputes.
Ensuring wealth transfers efficiently across generations and across borders. Coordinating estate plans that work in multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.
Guiding high-net-worth individuals through the complex process of renouncing US citizenship, including exit tax analysis and post-expatriation structuring. I've done it myself.
Structuring inbound and outbound investments, business acquisitions, and corporate reorganizations to achieve optimal outcomes across jurisdictions.
Helping family offices establish governance, structure investments, manage multi-jurisdictional compliance, and coordinate with other advisors.
Designing, establishing, and advising on trust and foundation structures in jurisdictions worldwide. I've consulted with governments on drafting trust and foundation legislation.
Strategic planning around where to live, where to hold residency, and how citizenship choices affect tax obligations, asset protection, and personal freedom.
"I have been working with Mr. Sexton for many years. He is the most knowledgeable source for foreign tax issues I have run into in over 25 years of practice. He does things correctly to keep you out of trouble, and I have yet to stump him on a foreign issue. I have tried many times."
If you're dealing with a complex international situation and need an advisor who sees the whole picture, not just one piece of it, I'd welcome a conversation.
Get in touch