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Where the Worlds CollideWhere the Worlds Collide

Family trusts and international investment treaty protections.

18 Min Read
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Ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWs) and their families engage in trust-and-estate planning for many reasons, the most common of which is to protect their family’s assets and to ensure the most tax-efficient transfer of intergenerational wealth. UHNWs are increasingly becoming more global—whether in the actual migration or movement of the family members themselves or their investments and assets around the globe. Therefore, when it comes to trust planning for these global UHNW families, advisors need to carefully consider the choice of jurisdiction for the various trust and entity structures. While it’s common practice to examine tax treaties, another somewhat lesser known consideration is assessment of bilateral investment treaties ...

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About the Authors

Alvina Lo

Wilmington Trust

Alvina is responsible for overseeing the wealth planning, strategic advice, and thought leadership services for Wilmington Trust's Wealth Advisory division.  She manages a national team of wealth strategists, financial planners, and thought leadership experts, who together, serve as advisors to high-net-worth individuals and families, business owners, entrepreneurs, and foundations and endowments.

Prior to joining Wilmington Trust, Alvina was the director and senior wealth planner for Citi Private Bank where she served as an advisor to both U.S. and international ultra-high-net-worth clients of the New York and cross-border markets.  Previous to that, Alvina served as a wealth strategist with Credit Suisse Private Bank and managed the third party trustee platform. Earlier in her career, Alvina practiced law at Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, LLP in the Trusts & Estates Group and served as a consultant for Deloitte Consulting and Scient Corporation.

Alvina holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia where she was a Thomas Jefferson Scholar. She received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the Law Review and Order of the Coif. She also holds a Professional Tax Certificate in Estate Planning from New York University School of Law. 

Alvina is a published author on estate planning matters and has lectured at the American Bar Association, New York City Bar, and Barron’s Top Women Advisors Summit. She is admitted to practice in the state of New York and New Jersey. She is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and is a member of Women In America, a professional development group. She is a regional committee co-chair of the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Foundation for the University of Virginia. Alvina is bilingual and speaks fluent Chinese-Cantonese and basic Chinese-Mandarin.

Viren Mascarenhas

Partner, Wilmington Trust

Viren Mascarenhas is a partner at Wilmington Trust.