We have been granted licences in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Malta, Mauritius, Seychelles, the Netherlands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Trusts can be used to gain substantial advantages which may include all or some of the following:- (1) Mitigation of estate duty/inheritance tax. (2) Avoidance of probate. (3) Asset protection. (4) Income and capital gains tax advantage. (5) Dynastic planning. If your estate is to be demised by a normal will then even a simple estate normally takes one to two years to administer, normally costs 4-6% of the value of the estate in probate and professional fees and frequently the assets remain frozen during this process so that loved ones are often left without financial resources at a time when they most need them. Whilst trusts provide a solution to all these problems clients are often extremely concerned about the necessity to transfer ownership of assets to trustees who are relative strangers and hope that those trustees will administer the assets in the way that the settlor would wish. Attempts by the Settlor (or anyone else) to fetter the discretion of the trustees or keep control of the assets would normally mean that the trust fails as a sham and is ineffective for all purposes. There are other solutions available which, carefully structured, should give all the advantages of a trust without necessitating complete loss of control over the assets. Alternatives to normal trust companies: 1. Private Trust Company 2. The Common Law Foundation