A single will
Potential benefits
- A simpler set of documents.
- One place to see the overall intention.
Potential considerations
- Recognition abroad.
- Local law.
- Probate that may have to be repeated.
Wealth
Estate planning across borders
Understand how wills, ownership, beneficiaries, property and succession can interact across multiple jurisdictions.
A document that works in one country may not produce the same result somewhere else.
Estate planning is the process of deciding how assets, responsibilities and decision-making authority should be handled during life, on incapacity and after death.
For internationally mobile families, the challenge is that property, investments, pensions, companies, beneficiaries and legal documents may all sit in different jurisdictions. A plan that works in one country may not automatically produce the same result elsewhere.
This page stays with ownership, family planning and how the documents fit together. Tax residence, inheritance concepts and how a will is recognised are covered on cross-border estate planning.
The starting point is not simply “Do I have a will?” It is whether the ownership, beneficiary instructions and legal documents across your financial life still work together.
The big picture
Estate planning is not only about what happens after death. It is about who can act, who receives what, and how ownership works when circumstances change.
Cross-border families often need to coordinate wills, property ownership, beneficiary nominations, company interests and incapacity planning across more than one legal system.
The basics
What does estate planning actually cover?
Wills
Documents setting out how certain assets should be dealt with after death, subject to local law.
Ownership
How assets are legally owned can affect whether they pass through an estate or by another mechanism.
Beneficiaries
Pensions, insurance policies, trusts and some accounts may rely on separate beneficiary instructions.
Incapacity
Powers of attorney or equivalent arrangements can determine who may act if you cannot make decisions yourself.
Succession
Business interests, family companies and long-term ownership often need separate planning.
Administration
Executors, trustees and other representatives may need authority to identify, value and distribute assets.
Cross-border succession
Why international estates become more complicated
Residence
Where you live may influence which laws or tax rules apply.
Nationality or citizenship
Some jurisdictions may connect succession rules to nationality.
Property location
Real estate may be governed by local law.
Domicile or equivalent concepts
Some systems use broader connecting factors beyond residence.
Beneficiaries
Heirs may live in different countries and face different reporting or tax obligations.
Document recognition
A document valid in one country may need local review before being relied upon elsewhere.
Different legal systems use different connecting concepts. Specialist legal advice may be required to determine which laws apply.
Wills
One will may not solve every cross-border issue
A will’s usefulness abroad can depend on local validity, whether it deals with foreign assets, how it sits alongside another will, the risk that one document revokes another, who the executors are, the language, local formalities, and how probate or administration works in each place.
More than one will
Potential benefits
- Local drafting for local assets.
Potential considerations
- The documents must be coordinated.
- One will must not accidentally revoke another.
- Specialist drafting is essential.
This is not a recommendation to use one or multiple wills. The appropriate structure depends on the jurisdictions and assets involved.
Ownership
How an asset is owned can matter as much as what the will says
Ownership can be sole, joint, through a nominee or custodian, through a trust, or through a company. Pensions and insurance policies may name their own beneficiaries. Each of those can send an asset down a different path.
01
Asset
The house, account, policy or shares.
02
Legal owner
The name on the title, register or account.
03
How it passes
Will, joint ownership, trust terms, or a beneficiary nomination.
Some assets may pass under a will. Others may pass through joint ownership, trust terms, pension nominations or insurance beneficiary designations.
- Confirm the legal owner
- Confirm the beneficiary
- Confirm the governing document
- Confirm the jurisdiction
- Confirm whether any nomination is up to date
Property
Foreign property often creates separate succession questions
Real estate may be subject to the rules of the place where it stands. Title structure matters, and so does the form of any joint ownership. A lender may have its own interest. Local probate may be required. Some jurisdictions have forced-heirship or reserved-share concepts. Tax may arise in more than one country. None of those outcomes is decided on this page.
- How is title held?
- Which country’s succession rules may apply?
- Does the local jurisdiction recognise the will?
- Is local probate required?
- Might inheritance or transfer taxes arise?
- Does the mortgage need separate treatment?
Incapacity
Estate planning should also cover what happens during life
Incapacity planning is about who may make decisions while you are alive but unable to act: financial decisions, healthcare decisions, bank access, property, and business interests. A local equivalent may exist, and family authority is not the same as a document an institution will accept.
A power of attorney created in one country may not automatically be accepted by institutions in another.
Financial authority
Who can deal with accounts and investments.
Healthcare authority
Who can be involved in care decisions, where a local document exists for that.
Business authority
Who can act for a company or a founder.
Property authority
Who can deal with a home in each country where one is owned.
- Financial authority
- Healthcare authority
- Business authority
- Property authority
- Digital access
- Emergency contacts
- Whether a local institution will recognise the document
Beneficiary assets
Some assets may sit outside the will
Pension nominations, death benefits and insurance beneficiary designations can direct money separately from a will. Trustees may have discretion. A nomination made years ago can still be the one on file, including one that names a former spouse or omits a dependant.
A will and a beneficiary nomination may govern different assets.
- Review pension beneficiaries
- Review life-insurance beneficiaries
- Confirm the scheme or policy rules
- Confirm contact details
- Understand whether trustees retain discretion
- Coordinate the nominations with the wider estate plan
Structures
Trusts and holding companies can add flexibility — and complexity
At a high level, a structure separates legal ownership from the person who may benefit. Trustees, beneficiaries, and sometimes a protector or other governance role, sit around the assets. Company shares raise a further question of who succeeds to control. Reporting, tax and legal treatment can all change when a border is crossed.
This page does not recommend a trust or a holding company.
Structures that work well in one jurisdiction may be treated very differently in another.
Questions to ask
- Who legally owns the assets?
- Who controls the structure?
- Who can benefit?
- Which law governs it?
- Where are the trustees or directors resident?
- What reporting applies?
- What happens on death or incapacity?
Business succession
A business interest may need its own succession plan
Shareholder agreements, voting control and economic ownership can point in different directions. Key-person risk, whether the family continues or the business is sold, who sits on the board, and whether heirs would have liquidity are all part of the conversation. Tax and legal advice need to be coordinated. Nothing here chooses an outcome.
Founder
The person who currently owns and often controls the business.
Ownership
Who holds the shares, and in what proportions.
Control
Who can vote, appoint directors, or bind the company.
What follows
A successor, a sale, or continued family ownership. These are different outcomes.
- Who should own the shares?
- Who should control voting rights?
- Can the business buy back shares?
- Are there pre-emption rights?
- Might insurance be relevant to liquidity for heirs?
- Are family members prepared to take control?
Administration
Who actually handles the estate?
An executor or personal representative may need to obtain probate or a local equivalent, collect assets, deal with liabilities, see to tax filings and distribute what remains. Foreign recognition is a separate step. More than one jurisdiction can mean more than one process. The order below is a way of seeing the work. It is not a procedure for any particular country.
Appoint
Who is named to act, and whether they can do so in practice.
Identify
Finding assets, documents and liabilities, including those abroad.
Settle
Debts, expenses and any tax filings the relevant countries require.
Distribute
Passing what remains, under the documents and the law that applies.
- Who is appointed?
- Can they act in each country?
- Is a local representative needed?
- How will foreign assets be identified?
- Where are the original documents held?
- What professional help may be required?
Family
Families with children may need to plan beyond financial assets
Parents often want to record guardian wishes, who would have day-to-day care, how residence and schooling would work, whether a trust holds money for a child, who can access funds, and at what point a child inherits outright. Family coordination matters as much as the document.
Guardianship law is jurisdiction-specific. Wishes in a will may not automatically determine the legal outcome.
Digital estate
Estate planning increasingly includes digital assets and access
The list can include online banking, investment accounts, email, cloud storage, subscriptions, crypto assets, domain names, social accounts, password managers and the devices themselves. Crypto assets raise their own legal and tax questions. This page does not answer them.
- Online banking
- Investment accounts
- Cloud storage
- Digital subscriptions
- Crypto assets, at a high level
- Domain names
- Social accounts
- Password managers
- Device access
- Maintain an asset inventory
- Record provider details
- Keep access instructions in a secure place
- Avoid sharing passwords insecurely
- Identify who should deal with digital assets, where that role exists
- Review the provider’s own terms
Records
Create one clear estate-planning inventory
A private list, kept with your advisers or in a place your family can reach. This page does not store what you write down.
Wills
Where held. Where is the original kept?
Country. Which country was it made in?
Who controls it. Who can locate it?
Last reviewed. When was it last read?
Powers of attorney
Where held. Where is each original?
Country. Which country was it made for?
Who controls it. Who is appointed?
Last reviewed. When was it last checked?
Property deeds
Where held. Who holds the title documents?
Country. Where is the property?
Who controls it. Whose name is on the title?
Last reviewed. When was ownership last confirmed?
Company records
Where held. Where are the registers kept?
Country. Where is the company formed?
Who controls it. Who are the directors?
Last reviewed. When were filings last checked?
Shareholder agreements
Where held. Who holds the signed copy?
Country. Which law is named in it?
Who controls it. Who must consent to a transfer?
Last reviewed. When was it last read?
Pension nominations
Where held. Which provider holds the form?
Country. Where is the scheme administered?
Who controls it. Who is named?
Last reviewed. When was it last updated?
Life insurance
Where held. Where is the policy?
Country. Where is the insurer established?
Who controls it. Who is the beneficiary?
Last reviewed. When was it last confirmed?
Trust documents
Where held. Who holds the deed?
Country. Which law governs the trust?
Who controls it. Who are the trustees?
Last reviewed. When was it last reviewed?
Bank accounts
Where held. Which institution?
Country. Where is the account booked?
Who controls it. Who is the account holder?
Last reviewed. When were the details last checked?
Investment accounts
Where held. Which provider?
Country. Where is the account booked?
Who controls it. Who is the legal owner?
Last reviewed. When was the statement last filed?
Digital asset instructions
Where held. Where are the instructions stored?
Country. Which providers are involved?
Who controls it. Who should be told?
Last reviewed. When was the list last updated?
Due diligence
Questions worth asking before you finalise a plan
01Which country’s law applies to my estate?
Ask a lawyer qualified in the places that may be relevant. Residence, nationality, domicile and the location of assets can all be connecting factors. This page does not decide which law applies.
02Does my current will cover foreign assets?
Ask whether the will was intended to deal with assets outside its home country, and whether those countries will recognise it. A broad clause is not the same as local acceptance.
03Do I need more than one will?
Sometimes families use one will, sometimes more than one. Neither is universally better. The answer depends on the assets and the jurisdictions, and it is a drafting question for a specialist.
04Could one will accidentally revoke another?
A later will can revoke an earlier one, including a will made in another country, if that is what the words do. Ask a lawyer to read the documents together.
05How is foreign property treated?
Ask which country’s succession rules may apply to that property, and whether a local grant or local formalities are needed. This page does not describe a particular country’s property law.
06Do forced-heirship or reserved-heirship rules apply?
Some legal systems reserve a share of an estate for certain relatives. Whether that applies to you, and to which assets, is a question of local law. This page does not set out any country’s reserved shares.
07How are jointly owned assets treated?
Joint ownership can pass outside a will, or it can pass through the estate, depending on the form of ownership and the local rules. Ask how your particular title is held.
08How are pension benefits handled?
Pension death benefits often follow scheme rules and a nomination, which may sit apart from the will. Ask the scheme, and coordinate that answer with your lawyer.
09How are life-insurance proceeds handled?
Proceeds may be paid to a named beneficiary rather than into the estate. Ask the insurer who is currently named, and whether the policy gives anyone discretion.
10Do I need powers of attorney in more than one country?
A document made in one country may not be accepted by a bank, a land registry or a hospital in another. Ask which documents each relevant country and institution will act on.
11Are my existing powers of attorney recognised abroad?
Ask the institutions that would need to rely on them, and a lawyer in the destination. Acceptance is not automatic.
12Who should act as executor?
The useful questions are whether the person is willing, whether they can act in each country involved, and whether a local representative would still be needed.
13Can that executor act internationally?
Authority in one country does not automatically extend to another. Ask what each place requires before someone can collect assets there.
14How are company shares dealt with?
Shares may pass under a will, a shareholder agreement, or both. Ask which document controls a transfer, and whether other shareholders have rights that come first.
15Should shareholder agreements be updated?
Ask whether death, incapacity or a sale is actually covered, and whether the agreement matches the will. This page does not say that an update is required.
16How are trusts treated in each jurisdiction?
A trust that is familiar in one system may be taxed or even disregarded in another. Ask lawyers and tax advisers in each relevant place. This page does not recommend a trust.
17What happens if I move country again?
A later move can change which documents are recognised and which tax or succession rules are in view. Ask what should be reviewed if residence changes again.
18What taxes may arise?
Inheritance, estate and transfer taxes depend on the countries and the assets. Ask a qualified tax adviser. This page does not state rates or thresholds.
19What documents should my family know about?
They need to know where originals are, who is appointed, and how to contact the advisers. They do not need passwords stored in an ordinary email.
20How often should the plan be reviewed?
Review after a move, a marriage, a divorce, a birth, a death, or a major change in assets or business ownership. There is no single interval that fits every family.
Watch for
Estate-planning mistakes that can create avoidable problems
- Relying on one old will after moving country
- Wills that conflict with each other
- Outdated beneficiary nominations
- Unclear asset ownership
- No planning for incapacity
- An executor who cannot act overseas
- Company succession left unaddressed
- Powers of attorney that are not recognised locally
- Important documents that cannot be found
- Assuming tax treatment is the same everywhere
- No review after marriage or divorce
- No review after a major purchase
A potential issue does not automatically mean the plan is invalid. It is a reason to review it with qualified professionals.
Common situations
When estate planning becomes more complex
Situations that raise harder questions. They are not legal advice.
01
A family owns homes in two countries
Questions about the wills, the law that may apply to each property, probate, and whether tax can arise in more than one place.
02
A founder holds company shares
Succession of ownership and of voting control, what the shareholder agreement already says, and how the family would be involved.
03
An international retiree
Property, pensions, beneficiary nominations, and whether the person named as executor can actually act.
04
Children living in different countries
Who is named, guardianship, how an estate would be administered, and how the family stays coordinated.
05
A trust alongside assets owned directly
Two ownership mechanisms, who controls each, and what has to be reported. The trust is not a substitute for reading the will.
06
A recent relocation
Whether the existing will, powers of attorney and beneficiary forms still fit the new residence.
Before relocation
What to review before changing country
- Review the existing will
- Identify assets that sit outside the home country
- Confirm beneficiary nominations
- Review powers of attorney
- Review how property is owned
- Review company and shareholder agreements
- Confirm the executor can act in practice
- Gather original documents
- Review any trust
- Identify where local legal advice is needed
- Ask a tax adviser what a move may change
- Write down the key contacts
After relocation
What to review once residence changes
- Ask whether local will formalities differ
- Ask whether existing powers of attorney will be recognised
- Update addresses held by advisers and institutions
- Update beneficiary records
- Review property arrangements
- Ask about local tax and reporting
- Review company governance
- Confirm the executor or representative can still act
- Update emergency information for the family
- Set a date to review the plan again
Simplicity
Estate planning should solve problems, not create unnecessary structures
Cross-border planning can become complicated quickly. More entities, trusts or documents do not automatically produce a better outcome.
- Start with who owns each asset
- Understand who is named to receive it
- Identify the legal conflicts that actually exist
- Coordinate the lawyer, the tax adviser and any financial adviser
- Use a structure only where it has a clear purpose
- Keep the documents understandable for the family
Professional support
When specialist legal or tax advice may be particularly important
- Property in more than one country
- More than one will
- Trusts
- Family companies
- Significant business interests
- Children in different countries
- Succession rules that may conflict
- A major relocation
- Complex pensions or insurance
- Significant digital assets
- A family disagreement
- Incapacity planning across borders
Compare estate planning providers
Different providers solve different parts of a cross-border estate plan
Estate planning across borders is about coordinating ownership, legal documents, beneficiaries, fiduciaries and succession across different legal systems.
Compare international private-client, fiduciary and estate-planning providers by wills and executorship capability, trust and foundation services, cross-border estate support, family governance, succession planning and legal/tax coordination.
A provider that is strong in fiduciary implementation may not be the same provider you would use for legal drafting, tax advice or family governance.
Start with the planning need
What are you trying to put in place?
What to compare
Estate planning depends on both the legal work and the implementation
01
Legal documents
Wills, will trusts and executorship capability.
02
Fiduciary structures
Trusts, foundations and professional trustees.
03
Cross-border estates
Can the provider coordinate more than one jurisdiction?
04
Probate / administration
Can they administer estates, or only plan them?
05
Tax / legal coordination
Do they coordinate specialist lawyers and tax advisers?
06
Family governance
Can they support decision-making between generations?
07
Succession
Can they help transition wealth or a family business?
08
Philanthropy
Can they support charitable or legacy structures?
Filter estate planning providers
6 providers listed for comparison.
Equiom
Private wealth, fiduciary and family office provider
Private wealth and fiduciary services covering estate planning, succession, trustee work and family office support.
- Best aligned with
- HNW families · entrepreneurs · family offices
- Global reach
- High
- Primary audience
- HNW families, entrepreneurs, family offices and intermediary advisers
- Wills / executorship
- Available
- Trusts / foundations
- Strong
- Cross-border estates
- Strong
- Tax / legal coordination
- Local scope varies
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Available
- Philanthropy
- Available
- Service model
- Director-led fiduciary
- Pricing model
- Engagement-specific
Services differ by office and legal entity. Jurisdiction-specific legal and tax advice must be confirmed.
Hawksford
International private client, fiduciary and corporate services provider
Private-client fiduciary services covering estate planning, trusts, foundations and family wealth continuity.
- Best aligned with
- HNW families · family businesses · advisers
- Global reach
- High
- Primary audience
- HNW individuals, families, family businesses and professional intermediaries
- Wills / executorship
- Varies by jurisdiction
- Trusts / foundations
- Core
- Cross-border estates
- Strong
- Tax / legal coordination
- Coordinates advisers
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Jurisdiction dependent
- Philanthropy
- Available
- Service model
- Private-client fiduciary
- Pricing model
- Engagement-specific
Private-client structures are jurisdiction specific and may require separate legal or tax advice.
Sovereign Group
International corporate, trust and private-client services group
Corporate, trust and private-client services covering estate and succession planning, trusts and foundations.
- Best aligned with
- International families · entrepreneurs · HNW individuals
- Global reach
- High
- Primary audience
- Internationally mobile families, entrepreneurs, HNW individuals and private investors
- Wills / executorship
- Varies by jurisdiction
- Trusts / foundations
- Strong
- Cross-border estates
- Strong
- Tax / legal coordination
- Coordinates advisers
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Jurisdiction dependent
- Philanthropy
- Available
- Service model
- Corporate / private-client group
- Pricing model
- Quote-based
Licensed trust and corporate-service activities vary by jurisdiction. Confirm the delivering entity and its regulatory permissions.
- Stonehage Fleming
Stonehage Fleming
International family office, legal, tax and fiduciary group
An integrated family office combining wills, trusts, succession, cross-border tax, family governance and fiduciary coordination.
- Best aligned with
- UHNW/HNW families · family businesses
- Global reach
- High
- Primary audience
- UHNW/HNW international families, entrepreneurs and family businesses
- Wills / executorship
- Available
- Trusts / foundations
- Strong
- Cross-border estates
- Exceptional
- Tax / legal coordination
- Strong in-house
- Family governance
- Exceptional
- Estate administration
- Jurisdiction dependent
- Philanthropy
- Strong
- Service model
- Integrated family office
- Pricing model
- Engagement-specific
Services are delivered through different Stonehage Fleming legal entities. Regulatory scope must be checked for the entity that would act.
Trident Trust
Independent global fiduciary and corporate services provider
An independent fiduciary provider whose core work is trusts, foundations and cross-border family wealth structures.
- Best aligned with
- International families · family offices · advisers
- Global reach
- Very high
- Primary audience
- International families, HNW individuals, family offices, advisers and intermediaries
- Wills / executorship
- Not universal
- Trusts / foundations
- Core
- Cross-border estates
- Exceptional
- Tax / legal coordination
- External advisers
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Not universal
- Philanthropy
- Available
- Professional trustee
- Core
- Service model
- Independent fiduciary
- Pricing model
- Engagement-specific
Trust and foundation services are regulated and jurisdiction-specific. Tax and legal advice usually sits with external advisers.
ZEDRA
Global private wealth, trust and fiduciary provider
Private wealth, trust and fiduciary services for internationally mobile families, including trusts, foundations and selected estate administration.
- Best aligned with
- HNW/UHNW families · entrepreneurs · family offices
- Global reach
- Very high
- Primary audience
- HNW/UHNW individuals, international families, entrepreneurs, family offices and advisers
- Wills / executorship
- Selected jurisdictions
- Trusts / foundations
- Core
- Cross-border estates
- Strong
- Tax / legal coordination
- Strong
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Selected jurisdictions
- Philanthropy
- Strong
- Service model
- Director-led fiduciary
- Pricing model
- Engagement-specific
Trust, estate, legal and tax services vary by jurisdiction and regulated entity. Legal advice may be delivered by a separate regulated law firm.
Compare cross-border estate planning providers
Short published facts only. These labels describe the provider’s own materials. They are not ratings.
A fiduciary provider, a family office and a professional trustee do not do the same job.
| Provider | Provider type | Best aligned with | Trusts / foundations | Cross-border estates | Wills / executorship | Family governance | Estate administration | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private wealth fiduciary | HNW families · entrepreneurs · family offices | Strong | Strong | Available | Strong | Available | View |
| Private client fiduciary | HNW families · family businesses · advisers | Core | Strong | Varies by jurisdiction | Strong | Jurisdiction dependent | View |
| Trust and private client | International families · entrepreneurs · HNW individuals | Strong | Strong | Varies by jurisdiction | Strong | Jurisdiction dependent | View |
Stonehage Fleming Stonehage Fleming | Family office group | UHNW/HNW families · family businesses | Strong | Exceptional | Available | Exceptional | Jurisdiction dependent | View |
| Independent fiduciary | International families · family offices · advisers | Core | Exceptional | Not universal | Strong | Not universal | View |
| Private wealth fiduciary | HNW/UHNW families · entrepreneurs · family offices | Core | Strong | Selected jurisdictions | Strong | Selected jurisdictions | View |
| Provider | Best aligned with | Trusts / foundations | Cross-border estates | Wills / executorship | Estate administration | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HNW families · entrepreneurs · family offices | Strong | Strong | Available | Available | View |
| HNW families · family businesses · advisers | Core | Strong | Varies by jurisdiction | Jurisdiction dependent | View |
| International families · entrepreneurs · HNW individuals | Strong | Strong | Varies by jurisdiction | Jurisdiction dependent | View |
Stonehage Fleming Stonehage Fleming | UHNW/HNW families · family businesses | Strong | Exceptional | Available | Jurisdiction dependent | View |
| International families · family offices · advisers | Core | Exceptional | Not universal | Not universal | View |
| HNW/UHNW families · entrepreneurs · family offices | Core | Strong | Selected jurisdictions | Selected jurisdictions | View |
- Provider type
- Private wealth fiduciary
- Best aligned with
- HNW families · entrepreneurs · family offices
- Trusts / foundations
- Strong
- Cross-border estates
- Strong
- Wills / executorship
- Available
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Available
- Provider type
- Private client fiduciary
- Best aligned with
- HNW families · family businesses · advisers
- Trusts / foundations
- Core
- Cross-border estates
- Strong
- Wills / executorship
- Varies by jurisdiction
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Jurisdiction dependent
- Provider type
- Trust and private client
- Best aligned with
- International families · entrepreneurs · HNW individuals
- Trusts / foundations
- Strong
- Cross-border estates
- Strong
- Wills / executorship
- Varies by jurisdiction
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Jurisdiction dependent
- Provider type
- Family office group
- Best aligned with
- UHNW/HNW families · family businesses
- Trusts / foundations
- Strong
- Cross-border estates
- Exceptional
- Wills / executorship
- Available
- Family governance
- Exceptional
- Estate administration
- Jurisdiction dependent
- Provider type
- Independent fiduciary
- Best aligned with
- International families · family offices · advisers
- Trusts / foundations
- Core
- Cross-border estates
- Exceptional
- Wills / executorship
- Not universal
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Not universal
- Provider type
- Private wealth fiduciary
- Best aligned with
- HNW/UHNW families · entrepreneurs · family offices
- Trusts / foundations
- Core
- Cross-border estates
- Strong
- Wills / executorship
- Selected jurisdictions
- Family governance
- Strong
- Estate administration
- Selected jurisdictions
Different estate-planning providers do different jobs
Private wealth / fiduciary provider
Implements and administers trusts, foundations and estate structures. In this comparison: ZEDRA, Equiom and Hawksford.
Integrated family office
Combines governance, legal, tax and fiduciary coordination. In this comparison: Stonehage Fleming.
Trust company
Acts as professional trustee and administrator. In this comparison: Trident Trust, Sovereign Group and Hawksford.
Estate / succession coordinator
No provider in this comparison is listed only as an estate or succession coordinator. Confirm whether you need legal drafting, fiduciary implementation, or both.
The right provider depends on whether you need legal drafting, fiduciary implementation, estate administration, family governance — or all four.
Common scenarios
Which estate-planning situation is closest to yours?
Related
- Cross-border investment
- Offshore investing
- Private banking
- Wealth management
- Cross-border estate planning
- Succession
- Trusts
- Moving country
WiT Access provides general information and comparison resources. Estate planning, wills, trusts, inheritance, probate and succession rules vary by jurisdiction and personal circumstances. Nothing on this page constitutes legal, tax, financial or investment advice.
WiT Access does not determine whether a particular will, trust, foundation or succession structure is legally effective or tax appropriate.
Where several jurisdictions are involved, coordinated advice from appropriately qualified legal, tax and fiduciary professionals may be required.
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WiT Access provides general information and comparison resources. Nothing on this page constitutes legal, tax, financial or estate-planning advice. Succession, probate, inheritance, ownership and tax rules vary by jurisdiction and individual circumstances. Consider obtaining advice from appropriately qualified legal and tax professionals.