Cook Islands Trust

A Cook Islands Trust provides for the most powerful asset protection globally. The Cook Islands are situated South of the US state of Hawaii. It boasts the dominant asset protection trust case law history on the planet. It is not a matter of theoretical protection. Every case in which it has been put to the test it has provided protection for the assets of the client. Most notably, there are two cases in which the wealthiest legal powerhouse in the world - the US government – was the one attempting to penetrate the trust. (One important note: We do not knowingly establish an asset protection trust to protect assets from the United States government. Thus, we are merely making an observation.)

This is how the Cook Islands Trust works: A court in your area says, "Give us the money." So, you put together a letter and mail it to the trustee. You inform them that your local judge has ordered you to bring back the funds, The trustee is required to follow the instructions provided in the Cook Islands Trust document. The asset protection trust states that the trustee is prevented from letting the funds out of the trust when the beneficiary is acting under force from the courts. So, the trustee, who resides outside of your local court's reach, refuses to comply. You are not in trouble because you are willingly obeying the judge's orders and asking the trustee to bring back the funds. You're in an "impossibility to act," position which is certainly valid for a legal defense.

Prior to the "bad thing" taking place, you (who are the beneficiary of the trust) are in full control. Thus, you manage the daily financial affairs. The way this is accomplished is that we form an offshore limited liability company (LLC). The LLC is owned by the trust 100%. You are the Manager of the offshore LLC and you control the assets of the LLC. You are the signer on all bank accounts. Then, when the "bad thing" crops up, the trustee takes your place as LLC manager. Important safety feature are that the trustee is both licensed and bonded. To obtain a license the trustee must have undergone a grueling background checks. The bond means your funds are insured from trustee action. Moreover, we utilize a trust company that is over 30-years old.

For safety and security for the client, there is only once instance in which the trustee can generally step in: The can only step in when the courts would confiscate the money. So, the important question to pose is as follows: Would you prefer a 100% chance of the money seized by the courts? Or would you prefer have a fully licensed, bonded trustee company, that has never taken money from a client, perform the act for which you have paid them to perform: keep your money from being taken by the courts?

Once the "bad thing" fades away, at that time the controlling position, management of the LLC , is returned to you and you are back in the pilot's seat with all of your money safe and secure. Meanwhile, during times of legal threat, if you have items that need paid, the trustee can take care of them for you. You can ask the trustee to forward some of your funds to an individual who you trust. They can, in turn, provide money for your needs. Thus, you still retain the ability to receive your money, but your legal enemies do not.

The end result is that the money for which you have worked so diligently is safe and out of harm's way.

The strongest asset protection for which the trust provides is for cash held in a safe foreign bank account. The courts where you live have the ability to seize local real estate. Therefore, it is fine to place real estate inside of the LLC that is owned by the trust. Alternatively, you can record a lien against property where the lien is payable to the LLC inside of the trust. In the event the bad thing happens it is preferential to sell the real property that you do not care to sell than it is to lose the property outright by court seizure.

We establish a great many Cook Islands trusts for attorneys who re-sell them to their clients. We also establish many trusts for our clients, directly who have need for strong asset protection. Additionally, we can add estate planning verbiage in your trust. When you die, your interest in the trust can be forward to your children or others of your choosing.

There have been a few instances where clients have asked us about The Anderson Case wherein the individuals for whom the trust was established had a brief jail stay for contempt of court. This is the reason why: The attorney set up the trust for the Andersons' set it up incorrectly. The attorney wrote up the trust making the Anderson's both the beneficiaries (who basically own the trust) as well as the protectors (who can instruct the trustee). This was very poor judgment on their attorney's part. The US judge said that because the Anderson's were also the protectors they actually created their own "impossibility to act." The very good news is that, although the trust was poorly drafted, it still protected the Anderson's assets. The case was then moved to the Cook Islands where the judge in the Cook Islands and New Zealand upheld the trusts asset protection. The Anderson's money was safe and secure. This is very strong evidence as to the powerful asset protection inherent in the Cook Islands trust. Even when the trust deed was written improperly, the asset protection held strong.

Be very wary of a particular service provider out there who has his own trust structure that he establishes but he downplays all other options, including the trust we are discussing. He has a weak local trust setup and, thus, downplays all other alternatives. He ignores the fact that there is proven case law history showing the trust in the Cook Islands has shown itself strong repeatedly. The weakness inherent in local trusts is that it is under the nose of the local judge. Thus, with the unparalleled asset protection strength demonstrated in the Cook Islands, most of us field, who do not have a secret motive, agree type of trust described here offers the world's strongest asset protection.

Call us for more information or to establish a Cook Islands Trust, Nevis LLC and offshore account.

Call us toll free at 800-956-8819. International callers may call 1- 661-259-8987