At-a-Glance
Ages: James (74), Elizabeth (72), five adult children (ages 35-45)
Top Priorities:
Preserving multi-generational wealth
Preparing heirs to manage family assets
Incorporating the family's story into their estate plan
Key Financial Goals:
Establishing a family trust
Planning for both wealth preservation and philanthropy
Where They Are Now: The Hamilton family has a comprehensive legacy plan that will help secure their wealth and values for future generations.
Overview
The Hamilton family — James (74), a successful entrepreneur, his wife Elizabeth (72), and their five adult children, David (45), Emily (43), Madeline (39), Michael (38), and Sarah (35) — faced the challenge of preserving their family’s legacy and values for future generations.
James and Elizabeth were deeply committed to ensuring that the wealth they had built would benefit not only their children, but also their eight grandchildren and beyond. With this goal in mind, they turned to HT|TC Wealth Partners, a team they and their children had grown to trust over the years, to create and implement a comprehensive plan that would reflect their family’s long-term vision.
Challenges and HT|TC Solutions
Comprehensive Legacy Planning
James and Elizabeth had worked hard to build their wealth and wanted to know it would be managed responsibly across generations.
HT|TC collaborated with James and Elizabeth to develop a legacy plan that included establishing a family trust, designed to protect their wealth and provide a structured way to manage and grow their assets for the benefit of future generations. With HT|TC's wealth management team overseeing their investments, the Hamiltons also chose to have HT|TC’s in-house trust company manage their trust. This helped keep their financial plan closely aligned with their values.
HT|TC also worked closely with the family’s accountant and legal professionals to integrate all aspects of their financial and legal needs into a cohesive estate plan.
Determining Estate Planning Roles
Selecting the right individuals to manage their estate was a critical decision for James and Elizabeth. HT|TC helped the Hamiltons gain an understanding of the roles of executor and powers of attorney, enabling them to choose the family members who were best suited for these responsibilities.
By considering each child’s strengths and circumstances, HT|TC guided the Hamiltons in making informed decisions that would promote harmony and effective management of their estate.
Incorporating Family Values and Intentions
Beyond managing their wealth, James and Elizabeth wanted to pass down the principles that had guided their lives to their children and grandchildren.
HT|TC helped them understand how and why they might choose to develop a detailed statement of intention — to outline their expectations for how their wealth should be managed, including their philanthropic goals—as well as personal letters for each of their children and grandchildren, helping ensure that the family’s values would continue to be upheld.
This empowered the couple to decide how to clearly communicate their hopes for the future and share guidance on maintaining the family’s story and legacy.
Preparing and Educating Heirs
James and Elizabeth recognized the importance of preparing their children to manage the family’s wealth responsibly.
HT|TC facilitated family meetings where the Hamiltons’ financial plan, values, and expectations were discussed openly. These meetings provided David, Emily, and Sarah with the knowledge they needed to confidently manage the family’s assets, as well as a clear understanding of their parents’ plans and wishes. HT|TC’s team-based approach allowed each child to connect with different HT|TC specialists, creating a strong support network that would continue to assist them in the future.
Collaboration with the family’s accountant and legal advisors helped further ensure that the plan was thorough, well-coordinated, and ready to be implemented when the time came.
Charitable Giving and Philanthropy
James and Elizabeth were passionate about giving back to their community and wanted assurance that their philanthropic efforts would continue after they were gone.
HT|TC helped the Hamiltons establish a family foundation as part of their estate plan. This foundation allowed the family to support causes they cared about, creating a lasting impact that reflected their values. HT|TC’s philanthropy advisors worked closely with the Hamiltons to develop a strategy for the foundation, including guidelines for future charitable giving that their children and grandchildren could follow.
This experience inspired the Hamilton children to take an active role in the foundation, helping ensure that the family’s charitable traditions would be maintained.
Outcome
Through HT|TC’s personalized, team-oriented approach, James and Elizabeth successfully laid the foundation for their family’s continued financial success and legacy preservation.
The comprehensive estate plan, naming HT|TC’s in-house trust company as executor and successor trustee, provided a structured framework for managing the family’s wealth across generations, while HT|TC's wealth management team put a solid plan in place to help preserve and grow their investments into the future. The Hamilton children were well-prepared to take on their roles in managing the estate, supported by the knowledge and guidance they had received from HT|TC. The family foundation helped ensure that the Hamiltons’ philanthropic goals would continue to be realized, creating a lasting impact on their community.
With HT|TC’s support, James and Elizabeth felt confident that their legacy would thrive for generations to come, reflecting the values and vision they had worked so hard to cultivate.
* Although this story is representative of the work HT|TC does to support the clients we serve, all individuals are fictional and do not represent actual clients.
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