Service
Trusts & Fiduciary Planning.
Where a trust earns its place, and where it does not.
Who this is for
People who typically come to me about this.
Persona 1
Families with succession complexity
Have beneficiaries who should not receive a lump sum outright, or a succession that needs managing over time.
Persona 2
People sold a trust
Were placed in a trust structure years ago and want a conflict-free view of whether it still serves them.
Persona 3
Cross-border estate holders
Assets across jurisdictions and want to know whether a trust genuinely simplifies the position or just adds cost.
What's involved
How the work actually plays out.
Trusts are highly effective when used for the right reasons. Properly structured, they can protect assets and manage succession across generations.
The value of a trust is not limited to tax efficiency. A well-drafted trust, supported by a Letter of Wishes, allows you to guide how assets are managed and distributed long after you are gone, helping trustees understand your intentions, priorities and the outcomes you want for future generations. Letters of Wishes are commonly used alongside trusts to provide guidance to trustees while retaining flexibility as circumstances change.
The work here is to determine whether a trust structure is appropriate for your circumstances. Where recommended, any fees, commissions or advisor remuneration are disclosed in writing before you decide, including where the recommendation is to do nothing at all.
Where a trust earns its place
A genuine succession need, a vulnerable or young beneficiary, or an asset that should be held and managed rather than handed over, these are the situations a trust is built for.
The cross-border position matters: a structure that works in one jurisdiction can be inert or counterproductive once Thai residency and UK domicile are in view.
Established by trustees, not sold
Where a trust is right, it is established through appropriate, regulated trustees on their own terms. You may ask what any recommendation pays me, and the answer is set out in writing before you decide.
Common mistakes
Where this most often goes sideways.
Buying a trust as a product.
A trust sold for the fee it generates is the classic mis-sale in this category. Start from the succession need, not the structure.
Ignoring the cross-border interaction.
A trust that is efficient in one country can create reporting or tax friction once Thai residency is part of the picture. That has to be modelled first.
How I work on this
The process, in three steps.
01
Establish the need
The succession objective and the beneficiaries it has to serve, set out clearly.
02
Test it cross-border
Whether a trust genuinely helps once domicile and Thai residency are in view, with the cost shown over the long run.
03
Establish only on merit
If it is right, set up through regulated trustees; if it is not, that is the recommendation.
Fees and what to expect
Plain-English fee transparency.
I am paid through commission on the products arranged and an ongoing fee on the assets managed. Every cost, and what it pays, is set out in writing before you decide.
You may ask what any recommendation pays me, and the figures that apply are agreed in writing in the engagement letter before you proceed.
A first 30-minute consultation costs nothing and obliges you to nothing.
Client assets are held in your own name on FCA-regulated platforms or SEC-licensed brokers, never by me.
Questions
Questions about this.
Begin a conversation.
Thirty minutes, by Zoom or in person at the Bangkok, Hua Hin or Pattaya office. Free, and without obligation. You leave with a clearer view of what is in front of you, whether or not the work proceeds.
Book a meeting
Choose a time that suits you.
Thirty minutes with Richard Knight, ACSI directly. By video, phone, or in person. No obligation.
