Unlocking Wealth

The trust as a long-term institution. Stewardship, legacy and time. Episode 20 will bring the series to a close by asking the most fundamental question of all: when should a trust be used, and when should it not. It steps back from technique to examine suitability, warning against the reflex use of trusts where simpler arrangements would serve better. The episode explores the costs, constraints an...

Trusts in a changing regulatory world. What advisers need to watch. This episode examines trusts in a changing regulatory world and what families and advisers need to watch. It explains how transparency, reporting and behavioural scrutiny have become structural features of the trust environment, not temporary trends. The episode explores beneficial ownership disclosure, ongoing compliance and cros...

Episode 18 focuses on succession planning for international families and the particular role trusts play in that complexity. It explains how mobility, multiple jurisdictions and differing cultural expectations make traditional successionplanning fragile. The episode explores how trusts can act as a coordinating framework, providing continuity of governance while allowing flexibility as people, ass...

When trusts fail. Real-world mistakes and lessons learned. In this episode we look at the failures, at how and why trusts fail, drawing lessons from real-world mistakes rather than theory. It explains that most trust failures are not dramatic or sudden, but quiet and cumulative, emerging through poor drafting, weak trusteeship, neglected administration and unresolved familyconflict. The episode sh...

The psychology of wealth transfer. Trusts as behavioural frameworks. Episode 16 explores the psychology of wealth transfer and how trusts shape behaviour over time. It moves beyond law and structure to examine how wealth alters incentives, expectations and family dynamics, often in unintended ways. The episode explains how different trust designs send different behaviouralsignals, encouraging resp...

Trusts and asset protection. What they can and cannot do. Here we will cover trusts and asset protection, and draws a clear line between what trusts can realistically do and what they cannot. It explains that trusts do not provide immunity from risk, but can offer legitimate protection when assets are genuinely transferred and trustees act independently. The episode explores timing, behaviour and...

Preventing conflict before it starts. Episode 14 explores family governance and why trusts cannot function well without it. It explains that trusts sit inside family systems and tend to amplify existing dynamics rather than neutralise them. The episode shows how conflict usually begins quietly, through misunderstanding and unmanaged expectations, long before legal disputes arise. It examines gover...

Reporting, accounts and governance. In this episode we will focus on trust administration and why it is central to trustee protection and long-term credibility. It xplains that administration is not clerical housekeeping but the practical expression of trusteeship, making decisions, responsibility and accountability traceable over time. The episode examines records, accounts, reporting and meeting...

Soft power done properly. Episode 12 examines the key issue of letters of wishes and why they are a form of soft power that must be handled with care. It explains that letters of wishes are not legally binding instructions, but contextual guidance intended to helptrustees understand the settlor’s thinking. The episode explores how well-written letters support trustee independence, while poorly wri...

The trustee decision-making process. How good decisions are actually made. We will start this group of episodes by examining the trustee decision-making process and why judgment, not outcome, is the real test of trusteeship. It explains that most trust disputes arise not from lack of power, but from decisions madecarelessly, inconsistently, or without defensible process. The episode breaks down ho...

Episode 10 focuses on beneficiaries and why they are often the most misunderstood part of a trust. It explains the difference between entitlement and expectation, and how confusion between the two fuels frustration and dispute. The episode explores how beneficiaries experience uncertainty, discretion and delay, and why unmanaged expectations tend to harden over time. It looks at the trustee’s role...

In episode 9 we will look at the much misunderstood role of the settlor and why it matters long after a trust is created. It explains that the settlor’s most important decisions are made at the beginning: what to settle, what powers to retain or give up, and how clearly intent is expressed. The episode explores how excessive control, reserved powers and informal influence can quietly undermine a t...

Here we will examine the choice between professional trustees and private trustees, and why it is one of the most consequential decisions in any trust. It explains that the legal role is the same, but the experience, support and risk profile are very different. The episode explores trade-offs around cost, competence, continuity and independence, and how proximity to the family can both help and hi...

In Episode 7 we focus on trusteeship itself and why it is far more than an administrative role. It explains what a trustee actually is, the legal ownership they hold, and the personal responsibility that comes with it. The episode explores trustee powers, duties and the reality of personal liability, emphasising that judgment, not process alone, defines good trusteeship. It shows how trusteeship o...

In this episode of Trusts Unpacked , Alexander von der Vellen examines how trusts are used to hold business interests and what that means for governance, succession and exit planning. The discussion explores the critical distinction between ownership and control, the tensions that arise between trustees and directors, and the recurring conflicts around reinvestment, family employment and authority...

In this episode of Trusts Unpacked , Alexander von der Vellen explores the practical differences between discretionary and fixed interest trusts - not from a drafting perspective, but through how they behave over time. The discussion examines how each structure shapes control, flexibility, risk, governance and family dynamics, and why the most common regret is not choosing the wrong structure, but...

An introduction to the main trust structures usedtoday, how they differ, and when each is typically used. The emphasis is onunderstanding structure as a tool, not a template. This podcast is for educational purposes only and does notconstitute legal, tax or investment advice. Listening does not create a clientor advisory relationship with Clavis Partners AG.

A clear explanation of intention, subject matter and objects, and why these principles still determine whether a trust works or fails. This session shows how technical flaws often reflect unclear thinking. This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax or investment advice. Listening does not create a client or advisory relationship with Clavis Partners AG.

An exploration of the real reasons families choose trusts. Not tax first, but control, protection from risk, and continuity across generations. The session focuses on intent, not technique. This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax or investment advice. Listening does not create a client or advisory relationship with Clavis Partners AG.

This session strips away myth and marketing to explain what a trust is in legal and practical terms. It clarifies common misunderstandings, explains why trusts are often misdescribed, and sets a clean foundation for everything that follows. This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax or investment advice. Listening does not create a client or advisory relations...

Trusts Unpacked: A Practical Exploration of Trusts as Governance Institutions Trusts are among the most widely used tools in private wealth planning. They are also among the most misunderstood. Too often, trusts are discussed primarily as legal structures or tax-driven solutions. In practice, however, their success or failure has far less to do with technical sophistication than with clarity of in...