Cross-Border Wealth Management

We help both U.S. and international clients of Bernstein Private Wealth Management—and their legal and tax advisors—navigate intricate trade-offs and taxing situations with sophisticated solutions and seamless cross-border advice.

X

An award-winning wealth advisor with cross-border expertise

When it comes to cross-border wealth management complexities, not all firms have the sophistication level required to truly satisfy global families’ needs.​ Whether you’re a trust beneficiary, a private business owner or a family office principal, Bernstein Private Wealth Management’s Global Families Institute can help.

Global families, as well as U.S. and non-U.S. investors, look to us for the expertise to address distinct cross-border challenges. In 2021, our team was recognized as “Advisor Team of the Year” by the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP)—one of the most influential professional advisory organizations in the world focused on cross-border challenges and solutions.​

X

We grasp the intricacies of global wealth

Working alongside their legal and tax advisors, we’ve helped cross border families, U.S. expatriates and other international investors successfully resolve challenges like:​

  • Taxing Situations: Complicated and ever-changing local and​ cross-border income and transfer tax laws​
  • Fewer Choices: Abrupt account closures or drastically increased minimums by major banks and brokerage firms in the U.S. and internationally due to heightened regulatory costs and reporting requirements
  • Disjointed Offerings: Differing advice, fees, offerings, and service levels for US-resident versus family members residing internationally​
  • Intricate Trade-Offs: The need for proactive cross-border planning expertise—and the ability to quantify choices in a tangible way​

Bernstein’s Global Families Institute can help you and your legal, estate planning and tax advisors make careful decisions with the confidence you’re doing what’s best for your family.

icon-three in meeting with talk bubble

Seamless Advice

We offer a single team of cross-border specialists who can serve your global family almost anywhere in the world. This eliminates the need for transitioning experts due to jurisdictional changes driven by where you or your family members reside.​

World icon aquamarine outline

Flexible Footprint

With both U.S. and international (Luxembourg/EU) investment platforms—and the potential to help minimize U.S. income, gift, and estate taxes for international clients—it’s no wonder we’ve become a provider of choice for cross-border wealth management expertise.

Eye icon aquamarine outline

Holistic View

We integrate both our advice and fees for multiple family members, regardless of geography or investment platform.​ And our easy-to-read reporting tailored for global families provides a robust snapshot of portfolios and performance​ across both U.S. and international investment platforms.​​

3 people at office chairs talking about porfolios

Dedicated planning team

Our wealth planning professionals with cross-border expertise partner directly with your tax and legal advisors:​​

  • Customizing Bernstein’s high-caliber research while applying state-of-the-art planning and modeling capabilities​
  • Quantifying the impact of different strategies on total family wealth
  • Providing options to evaluate and the confidence to act

International Entrepreneurs

Is now the time to sell your business? It’s difficult to say without quantifying your needs. Our sophisticated modeling helps international business owners—and their legal and tax advisors—determine whether a proposed transaction will be enough to sustain their lifestyle. Many proactive business owners bring us in long before a deal is sealed to provide clarity around tax, wealth transfer and charitable giving strategies.

man on a phone at the airport
woman looking sideway

Expatriate Executives

Keeping track of all the components of a compensation package can be a full-time job for many international corporate executives. Currency matters, housing allowances, and repatriation are just some of the challenges that make compensation planning even more complex for those living and working abroad.

In partnership with their legal and tax advisors, we help expatriate executives eliminate the guesswork with our sophisticated modeling and tax mitigation techniques. We tailor option exercise strategies, selling plans, and family wealth transfer solutions while offering concrete solutions for concentrated cross-border wealth.

Family Offices

Every family office is unique, but we tend to see some common concerns among those turning to us for cross-border expertise. We help provide clarity by quantifying the economic impact of cross-border decisions, using our state-of-the-art planning and modeling capabilities. And ultimately, we work in close partnership with their legal and tax advisors to develop actionable plans that can produce meaningful benefits.

4 people on a meeting
family on a boat

Next Gen

As rising generations forge their own path, it often takes them to far-flung places. But crossing borders often means adding complexity—especially when multiple tax jurisdictions and intricate tradeoffs are involved. Our platform can accommodate evolving needs, seamlessly transitioning family members who become subject to US taxation (both pre- and post-immigration).

We aim to build long-term relationships with continuous servicing by the same team. It allows us to understand your situation at a deeper level. And we work with your legal and tax professionals to help you prioritize your goals and make well-informed choices as your lifestyle evolves.

5 people on a meeting discussion

Live with wealth on your own terms

The Bernstein Family Engagement Institute is a dedicated group of trained, certified professionals with experience helping global families explore the transfer of wealth related​ values and knowledge. We believe that wealth management with a cross-border focus starts with uncovering a family’s values and philanthropic priorities. It's the key to developing a successful legacy.

Related Insights

How can families find common ground, and write the script together for responsible investing? Shelly Meerovitch lays out practical steps in a recently published article in the International Family Offices Journal. 

What’s the key to safeguarding unity, prosperity, and legacy as a family’s makeup changes? Establishing structures guided by shared family values to help mitigate conflict when relationships become strained. 

2/9//24 | Crain Currency—For couples of mixed citizenship—where one partner is a U.S. citizen and the other a citizen of another country—their tax burden can get complicated and expensive without the right planning.