Estate Tax Strategy
Federal + State + GST
Use of federal exemption, GST allocation, and state-level exposure managed in one model — especially urgent ahead of the 2026 federal exemption sunset.
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Build Wealth That Outlasts You — and the Generation After You.
70% of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation. 90% by the third. The structures matter, but family governance and heir preparation are what actually decide whether wealth lasts. We coordinate both.
What Is Generational Wealth Planning?
Generational wealth planning is the coordinated design of the structures, governance, and preparation required for wealth to support more than one generation. It pulls together tax planning, estate planning, trust design, asset protection, investment policy, family governance, and heir education into a single multi-decade plan.
The discipline exists because the data is uncomfortable. The most cited study — the Williams Group's 20-year review of more than 3,000 families — found that roughly 70% of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation and 90% by the third. The cause, in that study and most that have followed, was not market crashes or bad tax advice. It was the breakdown of family communication and the failure to prepare heirs for the responsibility the wealth creates.
That means generational planning is two jobs, not one. The legal and tax structures have to be right. And the family — its values, its communication patterns, and the next generation's readiness — has to be prepared. Skip either half and the structures collapse anyway, just on a longer timeline.
Who It's For
Who This Is For
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Families with $5M+ in net worth who intend to transfer significant wealth
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Business-owner families coordinating a business sale with multi-generational planning
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Households above (or approaching) the post-2025 federal estate-tax exemption
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Maryland and DC families with state estate-tax exposure
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Families holding meaningful real estate or operating businesses across generations
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Parents who want heirs prepared, not just funded
The Coordinated Approach
How Generational Planning Coordinates
Every one of the items below is a separate technical decision — but they must agree with each other. A dynasty trust funded with the wrong asset can lose its GST allocation. A SLAT signed without governance fails when the next generation steps in. Coordinated planning prevents that.
Dynasty Trusts
Multi-Generational Vehicles
Long-duration or perpetual trusts sited in favorable jurisdictions (DE, SD, NV) designed to keep assets protected across multiple generations.
Family Bank
Productive Capital
Discretionary trusts designed to lend to or invest in next-generation members for productive purposes — not just hand them principal.
Insurance Structures
ILITs
Irrevocable life-insurance trusts designed to provide estate-tax liquidity without inflating the taxable estate.
Governance
Family Meetings & IPS
Annual family meetings, investment policy statements that survive trustees, and documentation of intent behind the wealth.
Heir Preparation
Age-Appropriate Education
Education plans that meet heirs where they are — from teen-age financial literacy to adult-stage governance roles.
Our Process
How We Approach Generational Planning
1
Family Discovery
We learn the family — assets, structures, values, communication patterns, and what 'success' would look like in 50 years.
2
Structural Plan
Coordinated trust, tax, and entity recommendations matched to the family's wealth level and jurisdiction.
3
Governance Design
Investment policy, family meeting cadence, and an age-appropriate heir-preparation plan.
4
Multi-Year Execution
Phased implementation with the family's attorney, CPA, and trustees — and annual review thereafter.
Free Guide
The Coordinated Wealth Blueprint
7 costly financial planning mistakes affluent families make — covering tax planning, estate planning, retirement, asset protection, trusts, business succession, and generational wealth transfer.
Serving the DMV & Nationwide
Generational Planning in Maryland & the DMV
Maryland has both a state estate tax (with a $5M exemption that does not index inflate the way the federal exemption does) and a separate inheritance tax that applies to many non-lineal beneficiaries. For DMV families, generational planning often involves siting long-duration trusts in Delaware, South Dakota, or Nevada while maintaining Maryland residency. We coordinate this with Maryland counsel and the chosen trust-state co-counsel.
For families nationwide, we work virtually with the same depth — and travel when an in-person family meeting is the right call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Build Wealth That — Common Questions
Coordinated Disciplines
Related Planning Areas
The Legacy Wealth Brief
One high-impact wealth strategy, delivered every week.
Insights on tax planning, estate planning, retirement income, business ownership, and generational wealth.
Most Wealth Dissolves by Generation Three. It Doesn't Have To.
Schedule a 30-minute conversation to review your structures, your governance, and where the next generation is — honestly — in their preparation.