About this episode

Natalie Smith discusses advanced estate planning strategies for high net worth families and business owners.

Estate planning isn’t just legal—it’s strategic, personal, and often misunderstood. Natalie Smith, attorney at Sussman Shank LLP, specializes in advanced estate, trust, and tax planning for families, business owners, and advisors. With an LLM and deep experience at the intersection of tax law and real-world decision-making, she helps clients align wealth, values, and long-term intent. In this episode, Natalie breaks down what “advanced” estate planning actually means, where high net worth families and business owners make costly mistakes, and how early coordination with advisors can dramatically improve outcomes. The conversation highlights practical strategies around trusts, gifting, tax mitigation, and family dynamics—while emphasizing that clarity, communication, and timing are what truly drive effective planning. Key Takeaways: ● Know your assets: A complete, organized asset list is critical to ensure your estate plan actually works as intended. ● Titling matters: Even the best trust structure fails if assets aren’t properly aligned and funded. ● Plan before liquidity events: Early coordination helps avoid major tax consequences during sales or exits. ● Family dynamics drive…

People in this episode

Host: Seth Greene

Guest: Natalie Smith

Topics covered

• estate planning
• high net worth families
• trusts
• tax mitigation
• family dynamics

Keywords

• estate planning
• trusts
• tax law
• wealth management
• family dynamics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sussman Shank LLP

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