Asset Protection & Trust Planning Services

Asset protection planning is a comprehensive strategy designed to shield your wealth from unnecessary taxation, legal claims, probate delays, and unintended distributions. It involves structuring how your assets are titled, organizing accounts across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free categories, aligning beneficiary designations, and coordinating legal instruments like trusts and wills. The goal is to ensure your wealth transfers efficiently, gracefully, and according to your wishes—minimizing court interference, public disclosure, and tax exposure while protecting the people and causes you value most.

Common asset protection trusts include revocable living trusts (which avoid probate and provide flexible control), irrevocable life insurance trusts (which remove life insurance proceeds from your taxable estate), special needs trusts (which protect beneficiaries' eligibility for government benefits), and multi-generational trusts (which preserve wealth across generations while protecting against divorce, creditors, and mismanagement). The right trust depends on your specific goals—whether that's privacy, tax efficiency, control, or legacy preservation. We collaborate with estate attorneys to design the structure that best serves your unique circumstances.

Costs vary based on the complexity of your estate, the types of instruments required, and the level of ongoing coordination needed. Some components—like beneficiary designation reviews and account retitling—are included as part of comprehensive financial planning. More complex trust structures may involve attorney fees if legal instruments are required. At Sentinel, we focus on the 98% of estate planning that doesn't require a lawyer, ensuring cost-effective coordination across accounts, insurance policies, and ownership structures. We provide transparent guidance on all costs upfront, with no hidden fees.

A will is essential, but it doesn't avoid probate—a public, time-consuming, and potentially costly court process. Trusts, particularly revocable living trusts, allow assets to transfer directly to beneficiaries without court involvement, preserving privacy and expediting distribution. Trusts also provide more control over when and how assets are distributed, which is especially valuable for minor children, blended families, or beneficiaries who may not be ready to manage large sums. We review your existing will and beneficiary designations to determine whether a trust enhances your overall estate strategy.

We minimize estate taxes by strategically organizing assets across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts, leveraging annual gift exclusions, funding irrevocable trusts, and coordinating beneficiary designations to optimize tax treatment. We also model Roth conversions, Qualified Charitable Distributions, and spousal portability elections to reduce lifetime tax liability. Every strategy is tailored to current IRS rules and your unique estate composition. Our goal is to ensure more of your wealth reaches your heirs and chosen causes, rather than being eroded by unnecessary taxation.

Yes. We have 25 years of experience working with families requiring lifelong support. We design special needs trusts and asset protection plans that provide financial security without jeopardizing eligibility for government benefits like Medicaid or SSI. We coordinate with specialized attorneys and care planners to ensure every aspect of your plan—from trust funding to guardianship—is structured to protect your loved one's future. Our team understands the unique challenges these families face and provides dedicated, compassionate guidance tailored to long-term care needs.

We recommend reviewing your plan at least every three to five years, or whenever a major life event occurs—marriage, divorce, birth of a child or grandchild, significant asset acquisition, relocation to a new state, or changes in tax law. Beneficiary designations, account titling, and trust provisions can become misaligned over time, creating unintended consequences. Regular reviews ensure your plan remains consistent with your current goals, family structure, and legal environment. At Sentinel, ongoing plan monitoring is part of our comprehensive service approach.

Estate and trust laws vary by state, so relocating can impact your plan's effectiveness. We review how your move affects asset titling, trust administration, tax treatment, and probate procedures. If necessary, we work with local estate attorneys to ensure your documents remain valid and aligned with your new state's regulations. With clients across nine states—Connecticut, Maryland, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island—we have the experience to guide multi-state transitions smoothly and ensure your protection remains intact wherever you live.