Estate, Trust, and Business Succession Planning

 

At Saunders & Saunders, we provide sophisticated estate and succession planning services designed to protect wealth, preserve family legacies, and ensure long-term business continuity. Our team advises successful entrepreneurs, executives, and multigenerational families on structuring their estates and enterprises to minimize risk, reduce tax exposure, and achieve their personal and financial goals with clarity and confidence.

Strategic Estate Planning

High-net-worth individuals and families face complex legal, financial, and tax considerations. We craft customized estate plans that integrate seamlessly with existing financial structures and long-term visions. Our services include:

  • Advanced estate tax planning and wealth transfer strategies

  • Personalized wills, living wills, and healthcare directives

  • Gifting strategies and lifetime wealth transfers

  • Asset protection planning across jurisdictions

Sophisticated Trust Structures

Trusts are a cornerstone of effective wealth preservation and control. We design and implement trust strategies that reflect our clients’ intentions while offering flexibility, privacy, and long-term benefits. Services include:

  • Revocable and irrevocable trusts

  • Grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs)

  • Intentionally defective grantor trusts (IDGTs)

  • Dynasty, generation-skipping, and charitable trusts

  • Domestic and offshore trust structuring

Business Succession Planning

For closely held businesses, planning for leadership and ownership transition is critical. We help business owners secure the future of their enterprise while aligning with their personal and family objectives:

  • Business succession and exit strategies

  • Family governance structures and education

  • Buy-sell agreements and shareholder arrangements

  • Tax-efficient equity transfers and recapitalizations

Estate and Trust Administration

We guide fiduciaries, trustees, and beneficiaries through complex post-death administration with efficiency, discretion, and care:

  • Probate and estate settlement for large and complex estates

  • Trust administration and fiduciary compliance

  • Resolution of family disputes and contested estates

  • Coordinated planning with family offices and advisors

Legacy and Philanthropic Planning

Preserving values across generations is as important as preserving assets. We work with clients to build meaningful legacies that align with family priorities and charitable goals:

  • Creation of private family foundations and donor-advised funds

  • Structuring lifetime and testamentary charitable gifts

  • Multigenerational wealth education and stewardship planning

  • Legacy letters and purpose-driven estate design