Family wealth: make the ownership record clear

01 / Map assets and entities separately

List the assets held personally and those held through companies or other arrangements. Record the legal owner, the relevant jurisdiction and the document that supports each entry.

Separate ownership, management authority and economic benefit. Include family members who hold interests but do not participate in day-to-day management.

02 / Gather the supporting documents

Gather title and account records, company formation documents and amendments, ownership schedules, shareholder agreements and relevant management decisions.

Include guarantees, security documents, powers of attorney and existing wills or other succession-related instruments. Identify marital or foreign-law documents that may be relevant; avoid assumptions about their effect.

03 / Identify gaps before changing the structure

Mark conflicting names, ownership percentages, signing powers and dates. Identify arrangements that exist only as an informal understanding.

Prepare a list of the people whose rights or responsibilities may be affected. An ownership map is a starting point for review, not a conclusion about inheritance, capacity or enforceability.

04 / Questions for counsel

Which laws and jurisdictions affect each asset or interest? What is the effect of the existing instruments, and where do company arrangements interact with personal-status matters?

Which decisions should be documented now, who must participate, and how will the records remain accurate when ownership or management changes?

Official reference points

Current texts, amendments and applicability need to be checked for each matter. These reference points are not a conclusion that a particular provision applies.

• MOCI / Beneficial owner identification, Resolution 4 of 2023 ↗
• MOCI / Companies legislation ↗