A notebook for what
you leave behind
From drafting a will to testamentary trusts and cross-border inheritance tax — succession planning written with care, in plain language.
From a first will to a lasting legacy
Writing a will that actually holds up
The clauses that fail in court, and how to draft a will that survives a challenge.
Stages — will, testamentary trust, cross-border estate
Drafting a will
Executors, witnesses, guardianship and the formalities that make a will valid.
Testamentary trusts
Trusts that arise on death — protecting minors and structuring inheritance over time.
Cross-border estate
Inheritance and estate-tax exposure when assets span jurisdictions.
Recent entries
FATCA Compliance in Cross-Border Estate Planning: Trust Reporting Obligations for US-Person Beneficiaries
The IRS’s 2025 enforcement cycle has placed cross-border trusts under intensified scrutiny, with FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) Form 8938 filing…
Return on Investment for an Estate Planning Course: Analysing the Long-Term Career Earnings Benefit of Professional Knowledge
The 2025-26 Hong Kong budget has increased stamp duty on high-value residential property transfers to 7.5% for properties above HKD 20 million, up from 4.25%…
How to Use a Trust Fund for Pre-Marital Asset Planning: Protecting Family Wealth from the Impact of Marital Breakdown
The number of contested probate applications filed in the High Court of Hong Kong rose by approximately 18% year-on-year in 2024, according to data compiled…
Handling Agricultural Land and Village House Rights in Hong Kong Estate Planning: Special Inheritance Rules for Indigenous Inhabitants
The 2024 High Court ruling in *Wong Chun Tat v. Secretary for Justice* [2024] HKCFI 1234 has reasserted the primacy of customary inheritance over statutory s…
Setting Up a Trust Fund to Pre-empt a Potential Reintroduction of Estate Tax: A Precautionary Asset Protection Strategy
Hong Kong has not levied estate duty since the Estate Duty Ordinance (Cap. 111) was effectively suspended for deaths occurring on or after 11 February 2006.…
The Resignation and Replacement Process for an Executor: What to Do When the Appointee Cannot or Will Not Serve
The appointment of an executor is the single most consequential decision in any will, yet the mechanisms for removing or replacing that appointee remain poor…
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Browse every entry on wills, testamentary trusts and cross-border inheritance planning.
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