Investment and Trust Services

Our Investment and Trust Department focuses on your estate planning and wealth management issues. This is a sophisticated and very personal service for business owners, high net-worth professionals and families. You’ll find the individual attention, customized service and flexible programs our department provides surpasses that to be found in mega-banks or large money managers. And, because we are not affiliated with proprietary funds, we offer independent, unbiased recommendations and solutions with access to leading money managers and funds. We provide clients with custody, investment, and administrative services guided by experienced trust and investment professionals.

Our trust and fiduciary services include:

Wealth Management

For individuals and families with significant wealth, Willow Financial has extensive capabilities to address the fundamental issues associated with it, including the preservation of assets, additional wealth accumulation, liquidity concerns and risk management, charitable and philanthropic pursuits, strategies for retirement and education funding, and wealth transference. Our team of professionals, from experienced trust and estate administrators to specialists in investment portfolio construction, and insurance services, will work with you and your legal and tax advisors to develop a tailored plan.

Estate Planning

Careful estate planning may help ensure that the wealth you worked so hard to accumulate will be preserved and distributed to your heirs according to your wishes. Creating a plan for effective conservation and transfer of assets can make the difference between having control over your wealth or allowing the government control. Also, you want to be sure that your assets will be managed in a way suitable to your family’s personal and financial situation. We work in concert with your attorney and other advisors to design flexible plans that achieve your financial goals.

Retirement Planning

You may receive a distribution from a 401k or other qualified plan when leaving an employer, whether because of retirement or a job change. Or you may have substantial stock option grants. We can help you escape possible hazards, explore your options, show you the benefits of a rollover to an IRA and guide you through beneficiary designation choices to preserve the maximum amount for your family.

Philanthropic Planning

Comprehensive wealth management may include a charitable giving program that can help you further causes you’re committed to, achieve important financial goals and save substantially on taxes. Structuring a giving program should depend on your personal situation and goals. Do you want to receive current benefits from your gift, or would you rather give the benefits to charity and retain the asset for your heirs? Do you want to make a one-time or recurring gift? Together, we can help you answer these questions, as well as manage a range of charitable giving vehicles—including charitable trusts.

Special Needs

Planning for the future of an individual with special needs requires preparation, careful research and experienced professional guidance. While each family's situation is different, most financial and estate plans center around these primary objectives: protecting the assets of the individual with special needs, providing additional income to facilitate a better quality of life, preventing the loss of government benefits, including Supplemental Security Income and balancing the needs of other family members and beneficiaries. If you have special needs, or if you are responsible for an individual with special needs, there are planning techniques you may want to consider. Working with your attorney, we can help you effectively manage integrated insurance, trust and gifting strategies.

Estate Settlement

Our professionals can fulfill the many complicated duties of an executor, or we can act as an agent for the executor.  Performing these complicated and technical tasks can ease the burden on your family.

Business Succession Planning

Our investment personnel, along with specialists in estate, trust, insurance and charitable planning, can help you develop a plan for protecting and transferring your business interests. We’ll show you ways to help you protect against potential financial losses, reduce estate and gift tax consequences, generate retirement income and transfer the management and control of your business to others. Additionally, we can manage investments effectively for family limited partnerships and limited liability companies.

Guardianship

We serve as a guardian of estates for incapacitated individuals.

Will Review

Our trust manager can review your will, and work with your attorney to make appropriate recommendations.

Custody

We can safeguard your securities and simplify your record keeping.

Other services include:

• Safekeeping of cash and securities
• Statements (on-line delivery available) detailing all account activity
• Reinvestment of investment income
• Low-cost trading and settlement of security transactions
• Proxy and capital changes responses
• Trust and investment tax reporting

Whatever role you play, it is important that you establish a strong working relationship with the right financial expert. At Willow Financial Bank, we possess the expertise to answer your questions. It is important that our customers are aware of important changes in the trust laws and understand how these changes can impact them. We specialize in working with individuals and their other advisors to craft a solution that fits the situation. If you have any questions, please call Christopher Blakely at (610) 995-1700.

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