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Trust & Estate Planning

Trust & Estate Planning for Multi-generational Families

Where wealth and families grow, estate planning becomes more than a transfer of assets. It becomes a framework for helping people, portfolios, and purpose move forward together.

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Coordinated Trust and Estate Planning for Multigenerational Wealth

Pitcairn helps ultra-high-net-worth families, family offices, business owners, and wealth creators coordinate trust and estate planning within the full context of multigenerational wealth. Through our Shared Single-Family Office® model, we connect planning decisions with investments, tax strategy, governance, philanthropy, family learning, and the long-term responsibilities that come with prosperity.

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Planning for Wealth, Family, and the Generations Ahead

For ultra-high-net-worth families, estate planning touches nearly every part of the family enterprise: investment portfolios, business ownership, real estate, private investments, philanthropic commitments, tax exposure, family governance, and the preparation of future stewards. A plan that treats these elements separately can leave gaps. A plan that connects them helps a family move with greater confidence.

Pitcairn works with families and their existing legal, tax, trustee, and advisory teams to coordinate estate planning with broader wealth strategy. We help families understand how planning choices may affect liquidity, asset allocation, beneficiary readiness, charitable intent, ownership transition, and decision-making across generations.

This work is both technical and personal. Clear planning reduces ambiguity, supports more productive family communication, and lowers the likelihood of future controversy or conflict. It also helps family members understand not only what the plan says, but why it exists.

Estate plans should evolve as families do. Changes in law, assets, residency, relationships, business ownership, philanthropy, and family goals may all call for a fresh look. Pitcairn helps families revisit their planning with discipline, on a regular cadence and whenever life or law changes the picture.

Wealth Momentum® in Estate Planning

Wealth Momentum® is Pitcairn's integrated service model and governing philosophy: families grow better when wealth is viewed holistically. In estate planning, that means connecting financial structure with family outcomes. A well-coordinated plan can help your family:

Protect and grow wealth from year to year and generation to generation.

Prepare beneficiaries for the responsibilities wealth can bring.

Align technical planning with family values, philanthropy, and purpose.

Approach the future with greater clarity, continuity, and confidence.

Trust Strategies for Complex Family Wealth

Trusts and advanced estate planning vehicles can help families preserve wealth, manage complexity, and carry values across generations. When designed thoughtfully, these structures may support privacy, flexibility, tax planning, asset protection, charitable giving, and continuity for family enterprises or sophisticated portfolios.

A trust is more than a legal container. It defines how assets are managed, who makes key decisions, how beneficiaries are supported, and how wealth is stewarded over time. For families with closely held businesses, concentrated positions, private investments, real estate, or multigenerational ownership structures, those decisions require careful coordination.

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Advisory Support That Brings the Plan to Life

An estate plan is only as strong as the coordination behind it.

Documents establish the framework. Families still need ongoing stewardship, communication, and implementation for the plan to work as intended. Pitcairn supports the practical decisions that connect planning to daily family office realities, from portfolio alignment and trust administration to beneficiary preparation and advisor coordination.

We help families navigate the individual, interpersonal, and institutional challenges that can come with prosperity. That includes preparing trustees and beneficiaries, creating shared understanding around planning decisions, supporting governance conversations, and helping family members understand their roles before a transition occurs.

For families with significant wealth, this kind of support is the difference between having a plan and living with one.

How Pitcairn Supports Ultra-High-Net-Worth Families

Estate and Wealth Transfer Planning Coordination
We connect estate planning strategies with your family's investment, tax, liquidity, ownership, and legacy priorities.
Trust Strategy, Administration, and Advisor Coordination
We advise on the practical implications of trust structures and coordinate among trustees, beneficiaries, estate planning attorneys, tax advisors, insurance professionals, and family office resources, so planning stays integrated and actionable.
Tax Strategy Integration
We work with your tax professionals to clarify how planning decisions may interact with income, estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer considerations.
Investment Advisory Aligned with Estate Planning Goals
We align portfolio strategy with trust objectives, distribution needs, time horizon, liquidity requirements, and family priorities.
Family Learning and Rising-Generation Preparation
We provide education and engagement that helps future family stewards understand wealth, responsibility, governance, and legacy.
Family Governance and Decision-Making Support
We help families establish clearer roles, better communication, and more informed decisions around shared wealth. For families governing an operating business together, explore our Family Office Design.
Business Succession and Ownership Transition Support
We advise families coordinating ownership transition and liquidity planning for family enterprises. If you are an owner considering a sale Business Advisory.

Deep Expertise Behind Every Plan

Trust and estate planning rewards experience. Our advisors bring decades of fiduciary, tax, and wealth strategy expertise, working alongside your attorneys and accountants to keep every element of your plan connected.
Leslie Heffernen

Managing Director, Fiduciary & Legal Services

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Jennifer Proper

Managing Director, Wealth Strategies

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Jocelyn Schwartz

Managing Director, Relationship Manager

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Common Questions from Our Families

What makes high-net-worth estate planning different from traditional estate planning?

High-net-worth estate planning often involves more complex assets, larger tax exposure, business interests, philanthropic goals, multigenerational beneficiaries, and family governance needs. It usually requires coordination among legal, tax, investment, insurance, trustee, and family office advisors.

How do trusts support multigenerational wealth planning?

Trusts can help define how assets are managed, protected, distributed, and transferred over time. They may also support privacy, tax planning, continuity, philanthropy, and preparation for future generations.

What types of trusts are commonly used by ultra-high-net-worth families?

Families may consider revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, dynasty trusts, grantor trusts, spousal lifetime access trusts, charitable trusts, directed trusts, and other advanced structures. The right approach depends on the family’s goals, assets, tax profile, jurisdiction, governance needs, and legal advice.

How can estate planning help reduce family conflict?

Clear planning can reduce ambiguity by defining roles, responsibilities, decision-making authority, and beneficiary expectations. It can also create opportunities for communication and education during a family leader’s lifetime, which may lessen confusion and future controversy.

Does Pitcairn replace an estate planning attorney?

No. Pitcairn does not replace legal counsel or provide legal advice. We work alongside a family’s estate planning attorneys and other advisors to help coordinate planning with investment strategy, tax planning, governance, philanthropy, and family goals.

How often should a wealthy family revisit its estate plan?

Families should revisit their estate plans when laws change, assets shift, family relationships evolve, business ownership changes, new beneficiaries are born, philanthropic priorities develop, or goals change. Many families also benefit from a regular review cadence with their advisors.

How does Pitcairn coordinate with a family’s existing legal and tax advisors?

Pitcairn collaborates with existing advisors to help align planning across disciplines. We help organize goals, identify planning considerations, coordinate implementation, and keep investment, tax, trust, governance, and family office decisions connected.

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Smarter Estate Planning Starts with Pitcairn

For families with complex wealth, estate planning is one of the most important ways to bring clarity to the future. Start a conversation about how trust and estate planning can support your wealth, your relationships, your values, and the generations ahead.

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