Private Client Estate, Wealth & Legacy Planning for Hawaii Families
One relationship. One coordinated strategy. Estate planning, wealth preservation, retirement and legacy planning for successful Hawaii families.
Most affluent families in Hawaii already have professionals in place — an attorney, a CPA, a financial advisor, an insurance agent. What they usually do not have is anyone making sure those pieces work together. The trust says one thing. The beneficiary designation on the IRA says another. The rental property on the Big Island was never retitled. The business has no succession plan.
Estate Planning Consultants of Hawaii has served Hawaii families from our Honolulu office since 1996, and we have helped more than 2,000 families put their affairs in order. For families with larger and more complex estates, we offer a coordinated planning relationship rather than a single document package.
Who This Is For
Our private client work is designed for Hawaii families with roughly $2 million or more in total assets, including:
- Business owners planning for succession or a sale
- Physicians, dentists, attorneys and executives
- Families who own multiple Hawaii properties or mainland real estate
- Successful retirees with substantial IRAs and brokerage accounts
- Widows and widowers managing an inherited estate
- Families with potential estate tax exposure under Hawaii or federal law
The Private Client Estate & Wealth Review
We begin with a confidential 45 to 60 minute review at our Honolulu office or by video. There is no cost and no obligation. We look at your full picture, not just your documents:
- Existing trusts, wills and estate planning documents
- Investment and retirement accounts
- Beneficiary designations
- Life insurance and long-term care coverage
- Real estate holdings and how each property is titled
- Potential Hawaii and federal estate tax exposure
- Business interests and succession planning
- Retirement income and asset preservation
- Family inheritance objectives
- Gaps between your estate plan and your financial plan
You leave with a written summary of what is in order, what is exposed, and what we would address first. Many families find at least one significant gap they were unaware of.
Hawaii Estate Tax Exposure
Hawaii is one of a small number of states with its own estate tax, and the state exemption is considerably lower than the federal one. A family with two Oahu properties, retirement accounts and a life insurance policy can cross the Hawaii threshold without ever thinking of themselves as wealthy. Planning for this is a core part of our private client work.
Coordinating Your Advisors
We do not ask you to replace your CPA, your attorney or your existing advisors. We coordinate with them. Our role is to make sure your estate documents, your investments, your tax strategy and your insurance are aligned and reviewed regularly rather than drifting apart over the years.
Because our team holds both estate planning and financial services credentials, we can look at the estate side and the wealth side in the same conversation. That is unusual in Hawaii, and it is the reason families with complexity come to us.
The Family Legacy Review
An estate plan is not finished when the documents are signed. Assets change. Property values change. Children marry, businesses sell, tax law shifts. We invite private client families back annually to review trustees and successor trustees, beneficiaries, retirement accounts, real estate, insurance, long-term care exposure and family circumstances.
Families who signed a trust with us fifteen years ago often have an estate several times larger today. The plan should reflect that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a minimum to work with EPCH Private Client?
There is no formal minimum. The coordinated approach generally makes sense for families with roughly $2 million or more in total assets, or for anyone with a business, multiple properties or blended family considerations. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you directly.
Do I have to move my investment accounts?
No. Many private client relationships begin and remain purely on the estate and coordination side. If investment or insurance work is appropriate, we discuss it openly, in writing, with all compensation disclosed.
Does Hawaii have an estate tax?
Yes. Hawaii imposes its own estate tax with an exemption threshold well below the federal level, which means families who owe no federal estate tax may still owe Hawaii estate tax. We review your exposure as part of the Private Client Estate & Wealth Review.
Can you work with my existing CPA and attorney?
Yes, and we prefer to. Coordination across your existing professionals is the point of the relationship.
Where are you located?
Our office is at 4747 Kilauea Avenue, Suite 214, Honolulu, HI 96816, across from Kahala Mall. We meet in person, by phone or by video, and we work with families across Oahu, the neighbor islands and the mainland.
Schedule a Confidential Review
If your estate has grown more complex than the plan that covers it, a conversation is the place to start. There is no cost and no obligation.