WEALTH MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Private Banking Services
One of the first things you will likely need to do is open accounts in your individual name. Our Private Banking team can help establish your new deposit accounts.

Custom Credit Services
Our Private Banking team can also assess if custom financing may be needed for any of your larger expenses or to buy out an ex-spouse from any illiquid marital assets not susceptible to easy division in divorce. Custom credit can also provide you with a reliable source of funding for unforeseen expenses, real estate purchases, and business investments. Our team can evaluate your options and provide lending based on your unique assets—including specialty or illiquid holdings. Solutions to consider include:

• Marketable securities-backed lines of credit, including restricted and concentrated stock, which may be a valuable option to help preserve an underlying portfolio instead of selling at a time of crisis
• Bridge financing to help with a significant purchase
• Specialized asset-backed loans secured by partnership interests, fine art, yachts, and aircraft
• Residential and investment real estate financing, including lines of credit

Financial Planning Services

At this new juncture in your life, it’s important to have a comprehensive financial plan that analyzes the changes in your cash flows from assets received, alimony, changes in expenses, and other adjustments that are expected after the dissolution of marriage. By providing a comprehensive overview of the following factors, our financial planning team can help position you and your attorney at the negotiating table, and balance your projected expenses while seeking to maintain the lifestyle you envision:

• Cash flow planning for income and expenses
• Alimony/child support
• Asset sustainability study and portfolio risk analysis
• Tax situation review and appropriate planning

Estate Planning Document Review

We can help you review all your important estate planning documents so that you are confident you are providing for your chosen heirs, updating your beneficiary designations, and naming new designees for your health care and power of attorney documents. Some documents can be changed while divorce is pending, while others typically must wait until the divorce decree is issued. Documents to consider include:

• Will and revocable trusts (usually can be changed while divorce is pending)
• Power of attorney and health care directive (usually can be changed while divorce is pending)
• Retirement accounts and plans (usually can’t be changed while divorce is pending)
• Jointly named real estate and financial accounts (usually can’t be changed while divorce is pending)
• Authorizations to access digital accounts, including financial accounts, email accounts, social media accounts, etc. (usually can be changed while divorce is pending)

We can also act as a central repository for all planning documents, if desired.

Fiduciary/Personal Trust Administration

When trusts are utilized to protect settlement payments, it is important to select a trustee who will be your fiduciary: A trustee whose first and foremost responsibility is to protect your best interests and those of your family. Wilmington Trust is a fiduciary whether acting as trustee or as investment manager. Our experienced personal trust teams provide comprehensive administration services for current and future generations.

Business Valuation Review

The preparation of a business valuation is a lengthy and expensive process. Valuation reports can exceed one hundred pages in length and can be very difficult for even seasoned professionals to understand. For any business that has been appraised as part of the settlement process, our team can review the appraiser's valuation report and provide insights that may answer questions such as:

• Is the appraiser a qualified professional with experience and valuation credentials?
  
• Is the appraiser’s financial analysis of the company thorough and explained?
• Are the methods used appropriate and the reasons for their selection discussed?
• Is the value conclusion reasonable, based on the factors presented in the report?

Investment Management

If you’re receiving a settlement, particularly through times of investment turmoil, you want to be certain that your short- and long-term needs may be met through the creation of a customized investment portfolio. Our team can tailor a portfolio based on your specific parameters, including liquidity needs, time horizon, risk tolerance, and other factors. Our investment process is designed to manage risk, maximize tax efficiency, minimize investment costs, and diversify among asset classes, utilizing our differentiated portfolio planning software, Paragon®. Paragon is infused with deep economic and market intelligence from our economists and investment professionals. It has the ability to build in additional layers of risk to test the potential wealth outcomes of different portfolios, seeing how they stack up in challenging markets through its interactive “what-if” analysis, and comparing the results to those of your current portfolio. It will also put a fresh lens on your overall wealth management plan to help ensure it reflects your most current needs and objectives.

Paragon is a portfolio analysis, risk assessment, and goal optimization tool. The Paragon report uses hypothetical examples in conjunction with forecasts for inflation, economic growth, and asset class returns, volatility, and correlation and provides you with general financial planning information and to serve as one tool in helping you develop a strategy for pursuing your financial goals. It is not intended to provide specific legal, investment, accounting, tax or other professional advice. For specific advice on these aspects of your investments, you should consult your professional advisors.

Insurance Review

Insurance review is very important to be certain there is appropriate coverage, beneficiaries are current, and that the premiums are being paid. You may also want to confirm that your ex-spouse’s settlement obligations are secured with appropriate life insurance, or potentially probe its value as a marital asset. We provide a detailed analysis of your health, life, disability, and long-term care insurance, identifying what actions might be recommended, including reviewing policy ownership and beneficiary designations, and understanding who has responsibility for premium payments.

Higher Education Planning

Our team can establish projections and analytics helpful to the settlement process by delineating the future costs of college based on the ages of the children and the potential colleges under consideration. This data can be coupled with merit-based aid scholarship strategies and other financial aid analytics. Often, trusts can be designed and created specifically (or in concert with other goals) to fund education.

Philanthropic Planning

Prior to divorce, we can review any existing private foundations and charitable vehicles to be certain they are still in line with your goals and wishes. We can also explore potential charitable techniques that could be utilized in the settlement process to support philanthropy and mitigate taxes.