In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder and Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with guest, Steven Zeiger – Managing Director of KB Financial. Steven utilizes the only patented prudent processes for life insurance selection and retention and joins David for an intriguing discussion on the legal guidance on life insurance illustrations from FINRA, the UPIA, adjudicated lawsuits, NYS DFS, the CFP Board and the NAIC. Steven is well known in this area of study and has been asked to educate members of STEP, NAEPC, PLI, NYC EPC, the ABA, the CFA Society, FI 360/Broadridge, and dozens of other groups on the application of prudent investor guidelines to life insurance product selection and portfolio management. Life insurance illustration comparisons are confusing and misleading according to industry regulators, but independent research can provide the clarity that fiduciaries crave in terms of easing their frustrations related to life insurance: conflict of interest and lack of transparency. Independent research offers the “full story” that is not available with typical life insurance illustration analysis, and research helps advisors understand which policy will lead to a better outcome for their clients. This episode expands on Steven’s life insurance guidance and research as well as Monte Carlo simulations for life insurance.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder and Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with guest, Craig Redler – Attorney and Asset Protection Specialist. Craig has over twenty years of estate planning experience and has held positions all over the world including stints with Amicorp in its offices in Auckland, New Zealand and Miami, Florida, as well as Southpac Trust International, Inc. in its offices in the Cook Islands and Tauranga, New Zealand. Craig is the only attorney in the U.S. who has lived in the Cook Islands to work in the fiduciary industry there. These experiences honed his expertise in asset protection, and he now provides asset protection planning services to clients across the country and around the world. During their conversation, we learn more about Craig’s experiences serving as trustee for domestic and offshore trusts and designing and managing structures on behalf of high-net-worth families worldwide. They go on to discuss why Craig went back into the private practice of law and our shared belief that advisors have a fiduciary duty to research and select the the most sophisticated and powerful asset protection tools for settlors and beneficiaries of trusts.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder and Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with returning guest, William Lipkind – Attorney, Partner, and Chair of Wilson Elser’s Tax Planning & Controversies Practice. Bill concentrates his practice in the areas of wealth preservation, asset protection, and state and federal income taxation and joins David for an intriguing discussion on incomplete non-grantor (ING) trusts and California’s move to abolish them. Recently, legislation enacted in California aimed at taxing ING trusts, requiring the income of an ING trust to be reported in a qualified taxpayer’s gross income. Therefore, if you have a non-grantor trust as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, California will treat it as a grantor trust. David and Bill discuss in further detail the legislation and how to interpret it, as well as how clients with existing INGs in California could move forward and retool their trust. As you listen, you’ll understand that “all is not lost” for California residents, as there are still powerful tax planning tools and strategies available in top-tier jurisdictions, such as South Dakota, with or without the use of ING.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder & Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with guest, Reuben Tylor – Founder & Director of Trustees & Fiduciaries (Cook Islands) Ltd – who has been providing legal services to the offshore industry since 1987 and is a true thought leader in asset protection. The conversation begins with a discussion on Reuben’s work and the development of various financial and legislative products – the most important of which was his development of asset protection legislation targeting the U.S. market in the late 1980’s. As the conversation continues, they discuss the Trust Protector concept in the context of Cook Islands law and how Trustees & Fiduciaries (Cook Islands) Ltd can serve in that role when it is beneficial to the client. David and Reuben conclude the interview with a detailed discussion on the formation and importance of the Relationship Property Trust (RPT): a solution to a problem Reuben had been experiencing firsthand. When a family with substantial wealth over several generations would go through a divorce, family courts were determining that assets could not be set aside from relationship property matters and were instead brought back into the matrimonial property dispute. In an effort to ensure years of wealth planning for families was not dismantled, Reuben developed the Relationship Property Act (RPA) which identified that the solution was to provide a statutory rebuttal of the need to divide and distribute the assets and Cook Islands passed the new legislation creating the RPT to keep the assets of high net-worth families intact in the event of a separation.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder/Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with guests from Callan Family Office, including Jack Ginter, CEO/Partner; Doug Getty, Investment Management/Partner; and Betty Pettine, Director of Philanthropic Consulting. Callan Family Office delivers independent and objective counsel to families, foundations, and institutions, and during their conversation, we learn more about the Callan Family Office Difference, fueled by innovation, research, technology, and education. Jack specifically talks about the vision of the firm and how they are embracing the opportunity to fundamentally “disrupt” the industry today. As the conversation continues, we hear from Doug on Callan Family Office’s investment management focus with access to sophisticated strategies and technology, customizing portfolios designed to help clients reach their goals. We also learn from Betty why philanthropy is important to Callan Family Office clients and how vital it is to have an advisor that shares values, offers resources, and provides expertise in this rising interest of wealth management.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder & Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with guest, Tina Lovejoy – Founder & Facilitator at Frameworks Facilitation – who draws from her background in opera, writing, and consulting to facilitate sessions for families and train advisory teams in family dynamic issues impacting estate and succession planning issues through a language-centric lens. With a track record of facilitating sessions and workshops for over 1,500 high net worth clients and their families, Tina explains Frameworks Facilitation’s dedication to help families confidently navigate the relational complexity inherent in wealth transfer. As the episode continues, Tina shares more about the process of these sessions, choosing the right words and clarifying the meaning of those words to have productive wealth transfer and financial planning conversations with families as well as partnering with advisors, advisory firms, and trust companies to grow the skills involved in the softer side of wealth transfer.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder & Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with guest, Judge Patrick Riley, who’s impressive career began as a young lawyer in the DA’s office, then started his own law firm where he became a prolific civil and criminal litigator doing both plaintiff and defense work followed by his appointment as judge and finally his focus on trustee services. During their conversation, Judge Riley speaks about some of the big cases he’s handled and how being a plaintiff’s lawyer and recovering sizable amounts of money for people who didn’t know how to handle large sums of money introduced him to the concept of a financial fiduciary which is really what transitioned him into the trusts and estates world, working as an independent trustee. As the conversation continues, Judge Riley discusses his judicial time and after his retirement, his subsequent focus on trustee services for families and the corporate world fueled by his tremendous fiduciary training and background. Recognizing the many differences in family needs and structures, as well as the different approaches of processing the trusts, Judge Riley became a resource for someone who is in need of a fiduciary position – not just as a co-trustee, but special trustee, trust protector, distribution advisor – allowing the families that he works with to have pure independence in the choice.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder & Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with guest, Geralda Kral – Managing Director & Group Partner at UMA Wealth (Switzerland) AG. With over 19 years working with high-net-worth families, assisting with succession planning, asset protection, and corporate structuring, Geralda talks about her transition from a big international trust company to UMA Wealth, which she co-founded. As Geralda explains, this transition to a boutique and more nimble service paradigm was timely in light of the fallout resulting from the Pandora Papers and the introduction of CRS. They go on to discuss how the industry continues to battle the negative connotation around wealthy families who are following legal means of privacy, asset protection, and tax planning. As they continue their conversation, David and Geralda discuss the various reporting regimes, including the Corporate Transparency Act, that are designed to protect the industry as well as the shift and interest in the United States as a tax, privacy, and asset protection haven and how this evolved from a European perspective.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder & Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with returning guest, Jonathan Gopman – Partner at Nelson Mullins – and a new guest, Mark Sims – President of Madison Insurance Group. The focus of the conversation is Madison Insurance Group’s pioneering risk management strategy, Private Insurance. Mark talks about how this strategy enables businesses and organizations to direct procure insurance coverage for selected risks, transfer high exposure to third parties, and designate an investor to participate in an innovative profit-sharing program. As a result, investors build tax efficient assets to help protect their business and assure their future. Jonathan then goes into a sample profile of who could benefit the most from this product as well as the planning opportunities that are not easily seen on the estate planning side to use trusts and different types of financial products with Private Insurance.

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder & Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with guest, David James – Advisor & Managing Director at Coastal Bridge Advisors, a wealth management firm built to help uncomplicate clients’ financial lives. During their conversation, David James discusses how challenging 2022 was for most traditional stock and bond markets due to factors such as rising inflation, rising interest rates, and a strong dollar. As an experienced advisor familiar with the many different types of investments, David James and his team worked with clients to run an extensive diligence process and offer strategies for recommendation, including alternative investments. As 2022 continued, alternative investments were on full display, improving portfolio diversification and providing attractive benefits when combined with a traditional portfolio of stocks and bonds. As their conversation continues, it’s clear how this “big idea” thinking around portfolio diversification using alternative investments, in conjunction with modern trust law and tax efficiencies found in no income tax states like South Dakota, can result in a proverbial “home run” for families.