Apex International Consulting SA is a consulting firm specialized in wealth planning,
private investment company, trust and foundation.

We are dedicated to help our client find the financial solution meeting their needs.

Wealth Planning


We help our clients to decide how they can protect their wealth for future generations and how they can preserve the continuity of family businesses or partnerships.

Wealth planning involves a deep understanding of our clients’ marital and family status, including potential heirs or other potential beneficiaries, financial needs, nationality, domicile, tax residence, type of assets owned by our clients, applicable laws, including the law of residence or nationality of our customers, or the law of the jurisdiction in which the property is located, and thereafter designing a method by which assets can be held and passed on death in an efficient tax manner.

The use of suitable legal structures is important in the accumulation, preservation and distribution of wealth. Typically wealth planning will involve the use of a combination of tax and estate planning tools, including but not limited to private investment companies, trusts and foundations.

Protect your wealth for
future generations

Enhance your privacy

Private investment company


Private Investment Companies (“PIC”) can be established to hold clients’ international assets, being the legal owner of the assets held, and the client or trustee or foundation being the beneficial owner of its shares.

PIC is often created for a purpose of confidentiality, guaranteeing the anonymity of our clients depending on the circumstances.

The separate legal identity of the PIC allows for a number of benefits such as wealth protection and preservation. Use of a PIC may permit international taxation to be minimised and assets to be consolidated under one centralised administration. Liability is also limited to the PIC’s share capital and different types of assets (financials, real estates, operating companies, etc.) may be segregated and held by separate PICs.

We are able to set-up PICs for our clients in many jurisdictions, providing advice on registration and required documentation, advising on their on-going use and providing full administration. The expertise and advice of our lawyers and specialists allow the smooth running of all types of transactions.

Foundation


The foundation is a legal form that has been utilized over several decades, mainly for succession planning (called family foundation) or charity purposes, in accordance with the wishes of the founder as expressed in a confidential document (by-laws) distinct from the foundation charter.

The foundation has its origin in civil law and may be used to hold and manage a wide range of assets and investments for its beneficiaries, in accordance with the wishes of the founder. Its purpose is the management of its assets and its applications, for instance to support education, studies, or for the livelihood of beneficiaries.

The foundation is particularly appropriate for use in planning the smooth transfer of assets between family members or other beneficiaries. The founder may also refer to people outside the family circle as beneficiaries of the foundation.

It can also be a useful manner in which to implement asset protection strategies, offering the advantages of flexibility, discretion and confidentiality.

The founder can exercise an effective control in the foundation by reserving to himself the control over the management of the foundation’s assets or by the appointment of a protector and through the foundation’s by-laws which may be modified during the founder’s life according to evolving family circumstances. As founder of the foundation, a client may set out the rules for distribution and decide who the beneficiaries will be and in which proportions. If he or she wishes, the client may be the primary beneficiary of the foundation and thereby have full access to its assets, and may also transfer further investments to it.

Protection
flexibility and discretion

To plan and
to decide
on your estate

Trust


Trust is a private agreement that dates back to the Middle Ages, based on Anglo-Saxon common law, passed between the settlor and the trustees.

It is a relationship between three main parties: the settlor, who transfers assets into the trust, the trustees, who become legal owners of the trust assets, and who have the duty to hold, manage and distribute the trust assets in favour of the beneficiaries, who are the designated persons to benefit from the trust assets.

The trust can be set up as an estate planning solution, or asset protection and making provision for future generations.
The settlor transfers the legal title of the assets to be held in trust by the trustees whilst typically retaining a beneficial interest. The trustees then administer the trust funds for the benefit of the settlor’s family members (sometimes including the settlor himself) or other beneficiaries that have been chosen. It is possible to establish a protector who generally is responsible for advising the trustees or controlling their activities.

We can, in conjunction with your advisers, assist in the choice of trust (type, jurisdiction, etc.) and oversee its on-going administration. The use of a trust to hold, protect and administer assets provides the private client with a range of advantages including succession planning, privacy, continuity, flexibility and the ability to centrally hold a diverse range of assets (financial, real estate, movables, chattels, works of art, yachts, etc.).

Other services

Tailor-made structures in a world in constant evolution

Since every client’s situation is unique, we are committed to assisting them in finding the optimal ‘tailor made’ solution which will be designed to take into consideration all their specific needs.

The international environment and regulation are constantly evoluing, therefore we keep a close eye on its developments in order to offer legal alternatives to existing structures possibly weakened by these changes.