On this episode, Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear continue their conversation with Wiggin and Dana Partner Jack Sousa, on entrepreneurship, equity, and entity structuring. They dive deep into the entrepreneur’s guide to equity, employee stock options, and the strategic importance of early legal advice, with particularly valuable insights on estate planning synergy and

In a previous Wiggin and Dana LLP advisory, we addressed what constitutes a “foreign trust” under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).[1]  We now explore the tax consequences of a foreign trust, as well as the differences between a foreign grantor trust and a foreign non-grantor trust.

There are many benefits of having

In the latest podcast episode, host Michael Clear introduces the “Future Focused: Private Wealth Insights” blog, a platform designed to help optimize and protect your financial future. Explore domestic and international estate planning strategies, tax optimization, and more, with regularly updated content to keep you informed about the latest trends and developments. Visit www.privatewealthinsights.com to

Despite recent legislative advancements, including the 2015 historic Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges to make same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals and their families still face unique challenges when ensuring their intentions and directives are respected and met, particularly after their death. Whether you

In what undoubtedly is welcome news to trustees of Connecticut irrevocable trusts, effective January 1, 2025, Connecticut will join the growing list of states that specifically authorize “decanting” the assets of an otherwise irrevocable trust into a new trust with improved terms. While most Connecticut practitioners believe that decanting has always been available under Connecticut

In an ever-evolving landscape, it’s crucial to audit an estate plan and ensure it keeps pace with your life. On this episode, Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear dive into the importance of revisiting your estate plan, examining the impact of changes in asset levels, evolving inter-personal relationships, relocating to a new state, and changes

Business owners have their own set of challenges to address when considering estate planning strategies, including family concerns, personal concerns and operation of the business itself. On this episode, Partner Michael Clear supplies a roadmap of estate planning options for business owners that seek to address these challenges. He reviews the three phases of estate

Congratulations, you just signed your Will and your Revocable Trust.  You set out clear directions on how your assets should pass at your death.  Your heirs will be grateful.  But there is more you can do to ease the burden of estate administration – you can fund your Revocable Trust while you are alive. Set

A directed trust is a sophisticated planning technique that divides the traditional duties of a trustee among more than one person or institution.  Unlike a standard trust with multiple co-trustees, all of whom would share the same duties, a directed trust makes each “trust director” responsible for a different type of task on behalf of