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Private Foundations for Estate Planning

Private Foundations for Wealth Preservation and Succession

A private foundation is a legal entity that combines features of a trust and a company. Unlike a trust, a foundation has its own legal personality and can hold assets, enter contracts, and engage in activities in its own name. Foundations are particularly well suited to clients from civil law jurisdictions who wish to achieve similar asset protection and succession benefits to an offshore trust but within a more familiar legal framework.

Neptune Fiduciaries Group forms and administers private foundations in Liechtenstein, Panama, Seychelles, Belize, Cayman Islands, Netherlands Antilles, and other leading foundation jurisdictions. Each foundation is governed by its charter (constitutive document) and by-laws, which set out the foundation's objects, governance, and beneficiary arrangements.

Foundation Council

A foundation is governed by a foundation council (similar to a board of directors) that manages its assets and affairs in accordance with the charter. Neptune Fiduciaries Group provides professional council members and manages day to day administration.

Asset Protection

Once assets are transferred to a foundation, they are generally protected from the personal creditors of the founder. The foundation's own legal personality creates a clear separation between the founder's personal affairs and the foundation's assets.

Beneficiary Arrangements

A private foundation can hold assets for the benefit of named individuals or classes of beneficiaries, for charitable purposes, or for a combination of both. Beneficiaries have rights defined by the charter rather than by law (unlike trust beneficiaries in many common law systems).

Popular Foundation Jurisdictions

Liechtenstein (Stiftung) is the oldest and most prestigious foundation jurisdiction. Panama, Seychelles, and Belize offer cost effective modern foundation legislation with strong confidentiality and asset protection provisions.

Get in Touch

Contact Neptune Fiduciaries Group via info@neptunecorporate.com or sales@neptunecorporate.com, or visit our Contact Us page.

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