Trusts & Foundations
Discretionary, fixed-interest, purpose and reserved-power trusts. Panama and Nevis foundations.
Trusts and foundations are the private governance layer of a family or founder's wealth. ASJ Group designs discretionary and reserved-power trusts, purpose trusts, and civil-law foundations — matched to the family's residency footprint, succession goals and asset mix.
Every structure is drafted with a specific set of assets in mind: an operating business, a real-estate portfolio, a bullion holding, an art collection, a digital-asset treasury. The trust deed or foundation charter is written to hold those assets, not a generic template.
We coordinate with independent trustees and foundation councils in Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Nevis, the Bahamas, Cayman, Panama and the UAE — with a director-led file that spans the trust, the underlying holdcos and the operating businesses beneath them.
Scope of engagement
- Asset protection across jurisdictions
- Civil + common law bridge
- Succession clarity
Typical clients
- Founders structuring pre-sale to lock in succession before a liquidity event
- Multi-generational families with beneficiaries in three or more jurisdictions
- Holders of illiquid assets — private businesses, real estate, art, bullion, crypto
- Settlors who want reserved powers or a protector role retained
A named director on the file, from first call to handover.
Confidential intake covering family, residency, assets and succession intent.
Choice of trust type, jurisdiction, trustee and protector — with tax and reporting analysis.
Bespoke trust deed or foundation charter, letter of wishes and reserved-power framework.
Asset transfer, trustee onboarding, protector appointment and first trustee minutes.
What you receive.
Every engagement closes with a director-signed handover pack — retained on file for thirty years.
- Trust deed or foundation charter
- Letter of wishes and succession memorandum
- Trustee, protector and enforcer appointments
- Underlying holding-company stack
- CRS/FATCA classification and filings
Jurisdictions in active use for this service.
Questions we hear on every intake call.
- What is the difference between a trust and a foundation?
- A trust is a common-law relationship; the trustee holds legal title for beneficiaries. A foundation is a civil-law legal person with its own charter, council and beneficiaries. Foundations are often preferred where the family is domiciled in a civil-law jurisdiction.
- Do I lose control of my assets?
- Not necessarily. Reserved-power trusts, protector roles and private trust companies let a settlor retain defined controls without collapsing the asset-protection benefits. We design the balance explicitly.
- How are trusts and foundations taxed?
- It depends entirely on the residency of the settlor, trustee and beneficiaries. Every ASJ Group engagement includes a written tax analysis for the relevant jurisdictions before the deed is drafted.
Start with a twenty-minute call. Leave with a written scope.
Every engagement begins with a director — not a junior, not a chatbot. Fixed fees, quoted in writing, before any work begins.
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Every engagement begins with a twenty-minute director-led call. Fixed fees, in writing, before any work begins.