A well-structured estate is a protected estate.

It starts from an overview. Which assets do you hold, in which jurisdictions and through what means? What risks come with each? Only after this map can one speak of a structure. A suitable structure starts from your real objectives and exposures, not from a standard model.

The next steps are to choose the instruments (trust, foundation, holding, a combination) and the right jurisdictions. They also cover the desired level of protection and control. The whole exercise has two objectives. One is to protect the estate from future risks. The other is a compliant, transparent structure that lasts.

It means deciding in good time, in a structured way, how your estate is held and how it will be transferred. This avoids leaving these matters unresolved, to default law and to the heirs. It can include wills, gifts and the choice of the law that applies to succession. It can also include structuring the assets and tax planning for the transfer.

The purpose is twofold. It is to respect your wishes. It is also to protect the heirs from conflicts, costly procedures and a heavier tax burden than necessary.

The trust, as an institution, does not exist in Romanian law. It is an instrument of Anglo-Saxon law. However, many other jurisdictions recognise it. For a Romanian client with an international estate, this does not make it irrelevant. Quite the opposite. The trust or foundation is set up in the right jurisdiction, not in Romania.

This is where my specialisation comes in. It covers structuring, administering and defending international trusts and foundations. It also covers the company law that applies to holding structures, and their taxation. I work on the foreign-law instrument where it exists and has effect. Where appropriate, I do so in coordination with professionals in the relevant jurisdiction. I do not claim to set up a trust 'in Romanian law', because Romanian law does not know the institution as such.

Yes, as long as it is lawful optimisation. That means the correct use of the rules, double-taxation treaties and national regimes. The aim is not to pay more than the law requires. This is different from evasion. Evasion involves hiding or falsifying reality.

Wealth planning done correctly rests on transparency and real substance. That is the very opposite of concealment. It is a mature and legitimate practice worldwide.

Yes, to a certain extent: the fiducia, regulated by the Civil Code. Under a fiducia, a person (the settlor) transfers rights or assets to a fiduciary. The fiduciary administers them for a specified purpose, for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries.

It is the closest local equivalent of the fiduciary mechanism. Even so, it is not identical to the Anglo-Saxon trust and has its own limits. One of them is the restricted circle of persons who can act as fiduciary.

For a client with interests in several jurisdictions, the value lies in mastering both worlds. One is the trust or foundation, where foreign law fully recognises them. The other is the fiducia, as a domestic instrument when appropriate. The analysis starts from your objective. It then chooses the instrument (and the jurisdiction) that serves it best, lawfully.

A well-built structure can offer protection from future risks (litigation, claims, instability). This applies when it is created in good time, in good faith and properly funded. In many cases, assets held through a legitimate structure can be less exposed to future claims.

There is, however, a firm limit, and I state it clearly to every client. Protection works only for future and uncertain risks. It does not work against debts or claims that already exist. Structuring is not, and cannot be, a way to remove assets from current creditors or to hide assets. Such transfers are null and attract liability. Built correctly and in time, a structure protects precisely because it is lawful.

My specialisation covers four areas of international trusts. The first is structuring and administration (international trust management). The second is the company law that applies to holding structures (company law and practice). The third is the taxation of international trusts. The fourth is the defence of trusts in disputes (trust disputes).

I am deepening these areas through the four advanced STEP certificates I am now taking. They lead toward the Diploma in International Trust Management. Completion is scheduled for 2027. At that point I will also obtain full STEP membership: Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). This is the field's reference qualification worldwide.

STEP is the international professional body for estate and succession planning specialists. Being listed in its international directory gives access to the field's global standards, training and collaborators. This matters because serious wealth planning almost always involves several jurisdictions.

I am currently an Affiliate member listed in this directory. At present, I am the only professional based in Romania who appears there. I am affiliated to the STEP Arabia branch. I am following the advanced certification route. I expect to complete it in 2027 by obtaining full membership, TEP (Trust and Estate Practitioner).

For anyone with a significant estate, a family business or an international element: property, accounts, children or activities in another country. The more complex or geographically spread out the estate, the more value early planning brings and the more problems it prevents.

You do not need to be at the end of your career. Most people who benefit from good planning are those who start early, when they have the most options.