MALCOLM BUTLER
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Managing Generational Wealth Through Dynasty Trusts
If you have significant wealth you’d like to preserve, protect and share with future generations, a dynasty trust might be a strategic estate planning option to consider. The dynasty trust is a type of irrevocable trust that’s designed with the long-term, multi-generational transfer of wealth in...
Why You Should Write a Letter to Your Executor–and What to Say in It
This article was originally published to subscribers of The Wall Street Journal, found HERE. I once had a client who half-jokingly told me he wanted to be buried with his iPhone in his hand so he could call me—the executor of his estate—from the afterlife to make his voice heard.
Malcolm Butler’s History of The Fiduciary Group: 2000 – 2020
It has been about two decades since my father, Lee Butler, wrote the history of the first 30 years of our firm. At the end of his story, he left it to me to write my own account of the firm’s history from that point forward. It has been a great run over the past 20 years and, even during these...
The Beginnings of The Fiduciary Group: 1970 – 2000
Lee Butler with his son Malcolm in the 1960s. The beginning of The Fiduciary Group dates back to the summer of 1969. I was the Vice President and manager of the trust department of a major Savannah bank. Banking was in turmoil in 1969, including my employer. Under the management at the time, the...
Public vs. Private Equity
At The Fiduciary Group, our investment universe primarily consists of publicly-traded equities (stocks) and fixed income securities (bonds). From time to time, we receive questions from clients about making investments in non-publicly traded companies. We typically refer to these types of...
Establish Trusts to Create Peace of Mind
I recently had an older client with a significant net worth who spent most of his life in good health, but experienced a severe mental decline in his final years. Unfortunately, he never set up a trust to protect his assets, so it became challenging to look out for his best interests using only a...
What to Do When a Loved One is Diagnosed with Dementia
We have seen an increase in the number of our clients or their parents suffering from dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are just under 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and this figure is expected to grow to nearly 14 million in the next 30 years. As we continue to...
7 Considerations for the Multigenerational Transfer of Wealth
Congratulations on becoming a grandparent! By any measure, this is an exciting, rewarding time. This life change also offers the opportunity to revisit your estate plan to determine the best ways to “pay it forward” for your grandchildren. What should you keep in mind when planning to share your...
How a Trust Can Protect Your Family from Themselves
You’ve worked hard to build wealth. You have more money than you will need in your lifetime and you want to ensure your assets will benefit your family once you’re no longer at the helm.