Stephen Speiser, Esq September 2024 When it comes to protecting assets from potential creditors, lawsuits, or other financial threats, establishing an offshore trust in a jurisdiction with strong asset protection laws can be a strategic move. Among the most popular jurisdictions for foreign asset protection trusts are the Cook Islands, Nevis, and Belize, and to a somewhat lesser degree the …
The Folly of Domestic Asset Protection Trusts (DAPTs)
By Stephen Speiser, Esq. We need to have a serious conversation about domestic asset protection trusts (DAPTs). By our last count, 20 states now have DAPT laws: Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Yet, the rush to implement DAPT legislation – motivated by state bar …
The Alec Baldwin Saga: A Case Study
Can Asset Protection Save His Fortune from Manslaughter Charges? By: Stephen Speiser, Esq. February 1, 2024 The once bright future of Alec Baldwin is now in serious peril. On Friday, January 19, 2024, a New Mexico grand jury indicted the Emmy-award winning actor and director on involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the October 2021 fatal shooting on the film set …
Is All Asset Protection Planning Bad Under the UVTA?
A state’s enactment of a DAPT law should be regarded as the state legislature’s expression per se “actual intent” under the UVTA not be imputed in any form of asset protection planning. While this is an incredibly broad inference, it reflects the reality that DAPTs do not exist in a vacuum.
Fraudulent Transfers (aka “Voidable Transactions”)
Fraudulent transfers are one of the most important and difficult legal issues that must be confronted by the client and their attorney in order to create a successful asset protection plan. A fraudulent transfer is defined as a transfer of property to a third party with the intent to “hinder, delay, or defraud” a present or future creditor. For example, transferring title to real …