Trust vs Foundation: Choosing the Right Vehicle for Family Wealth
Trust vs foundation for succession: control, beneficiary rights, legal personality, tax neutrality and cross-border recognition, and which suits which family.
12 Jun 202613 min
Insights and publications
Practitioner commentary by HPT directors.
Every article in our library is written by a named HPT director, distilled from active client engagements. We publish on the topics our clients ask us about most often: structuring, banking, mobility, tax and regulatory change. Articles older than 24 months are marked accordingly.
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Structures articles
Structures.
37 Structures articles — page 1 of 1. Use the filters above to browse by topic, or page through the whole archive below.
Liechtenstein Foundation Guide: The Stiftung Explained
A clear guide to the Liechtenstein foundation (Stiftung): how this civil-law structure handles wealth, succession, control and modern reporting.
7 Jan 202612 min
Offshore IP Holding Structure Guide for Founders
How to hold intellectual property in an international structure: licensing flows, substance, transfer pricing and BEPS realities, and the pitfalls to avoid.
29 Dec 202513 min
Royalty Streaming Through Offshore Structures Explained
How royalty streaming offshore structures work for IP income, why nexus and substance rules reshaped them, and how to build a defensible arrangement.
16 Dec 202512 min
Intellectual Property Holding Structures: A Guide
A practical guide to intellectual property holding structures: choosing a jurisdiction, nexus and substance rules, IP boxes, and avoiding common mistakes.
14 Dec 202512 min
Offshore Real Estate Structures: A Strategic Guide
How offshore real estate structures actually work: holding companies, trusts, tax exposure in the property's country, succession, privacy and the real pitfalls.
8 Dec 202512 min
Liechtenstein Anstalt and Foundation: A Practical Guide
A clear guide to the Liechtenstein Anstalt and foundation: how each works, their tax and substance position, asset protection, succession and modern.
7 Dec 202513 min
Cayman STAR Trusts: A Guide to Purpose Trusts
How a Cayman STAR trust works as a purpose trust for holding companies, philanthropy and dynastic wealth, with the role of the enforcer explained.
11 Nov 202512 min
Panama Private Interest Foundation: A Complete Guide
How a Panama private interest foundation works for estate planning and asset protection, including founders, council, beneficiaries, tax and pitfalls.
9 Nov 202512 min
Jersey Trust Law: A Guide for International Families
A practical guide to Jersey trust law for international families, covering reserved powers, firewall provisions, the trustee's duties, tax and pitfalls.
8 Nov 202512 min
Guernsey Foundation: A Guide to the Structure
How a Guernsey foundation works, covering councillors, guardians, beneficiaries, the disenfranchised, tax treatment, substance and common pitfalls.
6 Nov 202511 min
Dynasty Trusts: Multi-Generational Wealth Planning
A dynasty trust can hold and protect family wealth across generations. We explain how these structures work, where they sit, and the pitfalls to avoid.
4 Nov 202512 min
Charitable Trusts for Offshore Philanthropy
An offshore charitable trust can structure giving across borders with permanence and governance. We explain how charitable trusts work and what to watch for.
2 Nov 202511 min
The Trust Protector: Role, Powers and Pitfalls
A clear guide to the trust protector role: what protectors do, what powers they hold, the fiduciary risks, and how to appoint one without weakening the trust.
28 Oct 202512 min
Foundation vs Trust: Which Wealth Structure Is Right?
A practical foundation vs trust comparison for international families: how each works, their legal and tax differences, and how to choose between them.
26 Oct 202512 min
Private Trust Company Establishment: A Family Guide
How private trust company establishment works for wealthy families: when a PTC makes sense, the structure, governance, regulation, and the practical pitfalls.
24 Oct 202513 min
Offshore Life Insurance Wrappers: A Planning Guide
How an offshore life insurance wrapper can defer tax, simplify succession and consolidate a global portfolio for high-net-worth families.
20 Oct 202512 min
Private Placement Life Insurance: A Complete Guide
Private placement life insurance (PPLI) lets qualified investors hold alternatives tax-efficiently inside an insurance wrapper. How PPLI works and its rules.
19 Oct 202512 min
Trust Deed Contents: What the Document Must Cover
A clear guide to trust deed contents: the essential clauses, powers and protections every well-drafted offshore trust deed should address.
17 Oct 202511 min
Offshore Annuities in Estate Planning: A Practical Guide
How offshore annuities work in estate planning, where they add value, the reporting they trigger, and the pitfalls to avoid for international families.
13 Oct 202511 min
Forced Heirship and Offshore Trusts: Planning Guide
How forced heirship rules affect cross-border estates and how offshore trusts can help, with the firewall protections, limits, and pitfalls explained.
11 Oct 202512 min
The Strategic Power of Offshore Trusts for Wealth
How offshore trusts secure wealth, legacy, and legitimate confidentiality for international families, with the real benefits and limits explained.
8 Oct 202512 min
Offshore Trust vs Offshore Company: Which Do You Need?
An offshore trust and an offshore company solve different problems. We compare control, asset protection, tax, and succession to help you choose correctly.
4 Oct 202511 min
Succession Planning for International Families
Succession planning for international families means reconciling multiple legal systems, forced heirship, and cross-border tax. Here is how to do it properly.
2 Oct 202512 min
Charitable Giving Through Offshore Structures
Offshore structures let international donors give strategically across borders. We explain charitable trusts, foundations, governance, and the compliance.
30 Sept 202511 min
Isle of Man Captive Insurance: A Practical Structuring Guide
How Isle of Man captive insurance structures work, who they suit, and the licensing, capital and governance realities behind setting one up.
12 Dec 202412 min
Setting Up a Trust in the Isle of Man: A Complete Guide
A practical guide to setting up an Isle of Man trust: the law, parties, taxation, common uses and pitfalls for international families.
9 Dec 202412 min
Isle of Man vs Jersey vs Guernsey: Crown Dependencies Compared
Isle of Man vs Jersey vs Guernsey compared: tax, trusts, funds, banking and reputation to help choose the right Crown Dependency for your structure.
7 Dec 202412 min
Offshore Real Estate Holding Structures: A Candid Guide
When an offshore real estate holding structure genuinely helps with succession, privacy and lending, and where ATED and non-resident CGT bite.
6 Dec 202413 min
Guernsey Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS): A Guide
How Guernsey structures insurance-linked securities (ILS): cells, transformers, the regulatory route, tax position and where the jurisdiction adds value.
3 Dec 202411 min
Guernsey Image Rights: Registering and Structuring
Guernsey image rights explained: the registered image right, who it suits, licensing, tax position and the pitfalls athletes and talent should avoid.
2 Dec 202410 min
Setting Up a Foundation in Guernsey: A Practical Guide
How to set up a Guernsey foundation for wealth holding and succession, including governance, founder powers, beneficiaries and the practical pitfalls.
28 Nov 202412 min
Multi-Jurisdictional Corporate Structures Done Right
Designing a multi-jurisdictional corporate structure with holding, operating, IP and finance layers, real substance and treaty access, without crossing into.
7 Nov 202414 min
Yacht Ownership Structures: A Practical Guide
A clear guide to yacht ownership structures, covering flag choice, VAT, charter use, and how to hold a vessel through the right entity for protection and tax.
30 Oct 202412 min
Family Office Structures: A Practical Guide
A clear guide to family office structures: single versus multi-family models, governance, jurisdiction, holding vehicles, and when an office makes sense.
28 Oct 202413 min
The BVI VISTA Trust: A Complete Practical Guide
How a BVI VISTA trust lets trustees hold a company while directors run it, removing the prudent-investor duty, with real uses, mechanics and limits.
8 Oct 202413 min
Family Limited Partnership and Offshore Variants Explained
How a family limited partnership and its offshore variants consolidate family wealth, balance control with succession, and where offshore structures add.
14 May 202412 min
Also in Insights
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Guides & Comparisons
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Explore →Case Studies
Anonymised mandate write-ups, with the lessons learnt.
Explore →Glossary
Plain-English definitions of offshore terms — from ATED to VASP.
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The questions every prospective client asks.
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