Who uses which solution: five anonymised scenarios for international families

Key takeaways

These five scenarios are hypothetical composites, not real clients; they show how the six solution areas are typically sequenced, not what any family should do.
In every scenario, residency and tax residence are settled before structures and products, and one source-of-wealth file is prepared for all institutions.
Families with US or UK connections carry home-country rules with them: the IRS requires a US estate tax return where a non-resident non-citizen's US-situs assets exceed US$60,000, and HMRC applies inheritance tax to foreign assets of long-term UK residents from 6 April 2025.
A single family office is weighed against a trust with managed accounts on cost, governance and the 13O/13U conditions for awards approved on or after 1 August 2026, not on headline appeal.
A cross-border estate runs on several legal systems at once: a Singapore grant of probate or letters of administration covers Singapore assets, while property and shares elsewhere may follow local succession law.

This page describes five hypothetical international families and shows which of Singapore's six HNW solution areas each would typically examine, in what order, with which risks and professionals. The scenarios are composites built to illustrate mechanisms, not real clients, and they are not recommendations: the right arrangement depends on each family's facts and on advice in every jurisdiction involved.

How to read these scenarios

Each scenario uses the same four headings so that they can be compared:

Goal — what the family is trying to achieve, in its own terms.
Possible structure — the areas that would usually be examined, in sequence. "Possible" means one option to discuss, not a prescription.
Key risks — what typically goes wrong, drawn from published rules rather than from outcomes.
Professionals required — the roles involved, as described in the professional-collaboration model.

Two patterns run through all five: residency and tax residence come before structures and products, and the family prepares one source-of-wealth file shared, as appropriate, with banks, insurers and trustees. Applies to: Singapore, with home-country notes as stated. Obtain advice from a qualified tax adviser in each jurisdiction where you are, or may become, tax resident.

Scenario 1: an Asian founder after a business sale

A founder in his fifties has sold a majority stake in a regional operating company, receiving proceeds in the eight-figure US dollar range. He is considering relocating with his spouse and two teenage children.

Heading	Description
Goal	Hold the proceeds in a well-regulated centre, keep the family's options open on residence, and make sure the spouse and children are provided for if he dies or loses capacity.
Possible structure	(1) Decide residency first — for example an Employment Pass tied to a new role, or a Global Investor Programme application, which EDB says takes approximately 12 months to process and is at EDB's discretion; (2) settle tax residence and any exit obligations in the home jurisdiction; (3) prepare a source-of-wealth file built around the sale documents; (4) open private bank accounts and decide on accredited investor opt-in; (5) consider life insurance for estate liquidity; (6) put a will, LPA and, if justified, a trust in place.
Key risks	Moving money before tax residence is clear; a source-of-wealth narrative that does not match the sale and purchase agreement; concentrated reinvestment; policy ownership that conflicts with a later trust.
Professionals required	Home-country tax adviser, Singapore tax adviser, immigration counsel, private banker, insurer's licensed representative, lawyer, licensed trust company.

The lesson is order: if accounts and policies come before residence is decided, self-certifications, policy ownership and succession documents may all need redoing.