Knowing What Is Asset Protection

By Ava Hudson


Growing wealth is necessary. So is its protection. You must safeguard your hard earned money the best that you can. There may come a time when you need to enter into some financial agreement holding you responsible to your creditor. When you do this, you need to ensure you can account for what you owe. This would be crucial so that you can avoid loss, but it could happen that you fall short than expected or just are unfortunate. If you have only a few or no assets, best that you opt for bankruptcy but when there are valuable ones, you should realize what is asset protection.

This is a type of planning that would protect the wealth of an individual from claims made by a creditor. One would then not have to give up the money he has put away because of an unpaid loan or a lawsuit. This would be very beneficial, ensuring that even with some loss, one can still enjoy a good lifestyle which he has prepared for with all the years of hard work.

Entities use various techniques to protect wealth so a creditor would have limited access to the valuable assets of the debtor. This is done within debtor-creditor law. It will help insulate a person's wealth through legal manners. One will not engage on practices which are illegal just to avoid giving up wealth. Among these illegal practices are concealment, fraudulent transfer, contempt, bankruptcy fraud or tax evasion.

For this to be effective, it should start before there would be any claim or liability. Doing it after a claim is placed may be undone through the fraudulent transfer law. Fraudulent transfer is the transfer of property with the intent to hinder, delay or swindle a creditor or to place that property beyond the reach of the creditor. Both the debtor and the person who assisted in the fraudulent transfer can then be made liable for the attorney's fees of the creditor and not get a discharge for bankruptcy. It would be too late then to initiate protection after the fact.

Common methods employed include using asset protection trusts, accounts receivable financing and family limited partnerships. Trusts get set up for one to avoid or mitigate effects of taxation, bankruptcy and divorce. In accounts receivable financing, the accounts receivable, which is money that is owed to an entity, are sold discounted to a factor that would assume the risk of the debtor. FLPs pool assets of one family together into a partnership where members own shares.

Exemptions are also provided for what creditors may not put a claim on. Retirement plans are among those under ERISA law and bankruptcy federal law. All 50 states also set laws for exemptions for assets claimed.

This however should not be used to replace insurance. This instead should only act as a supplement. If one gets sued, he should allow the insurance company to pay to defend or settle a case.

You should use simple techniques as they are the best to use. You need to be confident in understanding what techniques you use. If you cannot explain properly what happened to your assets, the court could find grounds to set aside the transfer or to disregard entities.

It is essential to recognize what is asset protection. It can be quite helpful. It would ensure stability for an individual.




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