From Complexity to Clarity

Over the years, Daniel had worked with several advisors who provided short-term, band-aid solutions but no cohesive strategy. He was concerned that his sons would squander their inheritance if they received it outright at a young age, and he also recognized that not all assets were properly titled in trust, exposing parts of the estate to probate. Without an integrated advisory team, he lacked confidence and peace of mind around estate taxes, long-term growth, and creating a legacy that would endure rather than be dissipated.

Legacy & Succession entered the engagement with a clear priority: creating a comprehensive estate blueprint. This blueprint would serve as the foundation for preserving Daniel’s legacy and eventually establishing a family constitution and family banks. The process began with a full inventory of all assets and liabilities, with every entity mapped within proprietary software to provide a global view of the estate. Rather than focusing only on immediate needs, the team built a long-term roadmap designed to solve problems perpetually. To understand the true scale of the estate, the team analyzed not just asset values, but enterprise stock values using market multiples. This revealed that Daniel’s estate was roughly double the value shown on his personal financial statement. When combined with more than $20 million in life insurance proceeds included in the taxable estate, it became clear that he faced a significant estate tax problem—approximately $20 million due if he and his wife passed away immediately.

With limited liquidity relative to liabilities, Daniel would have been forced to sell businesses and real estate upon death to cover the tax burden. Legacy & Succession modeled a detailed waterfall tax analysis and went further by projecting estate growth over time. If left unaddressed, the estate was on track to approach half a billion dollars by his 90s, creating an even more severe estate tax exposure. The team also uncovered that Daniel’s $20 million permanent life insurance policy was poorly structured. By redesigning the policy, they demonstrated a strategy that could double the death benefit while maintaining the same premium for only ten years, rather than lifetime payments.

The outcome was a clear, visually intuitive estate blueprint that outlined which assets belonged inside irrevocable trusts and which should remain in the taxable estate, along with a detailed entity ownership map. This plan was delivered to Daniel’s attorney for execution, with Legacy & Succession serving as the architect rather than replacing legal counsel. Today, Daniel has clarity and peace of mind around his estate and continues working with the team in a personal CFO capacity. This ongoing role supports the development of his family office, provides scalable capital solutions, and ultimately allows him to focus on what matters most—spending time with his family and continuing to grow his businesses.

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