Private Wealth Strategist is where Christi Shell, Certified Wealth Strategist®, shares insights from her work advising business owners, physicians, executives, and families responsible for meaningful capital.
Families with complex financial lives eventually face a consistent set of wealth decisions—how to structure a business exit, how to reduce tax drag, how to protect assets from liability, how to generate retirement income, how to transfer wealth efficiently to heirs, and how to support family, philanthropic, and legacy goals.
Private Wealth Strategist explores those issues through the lens of integrated wealth strategy. Articles address topics such as investment strategy and portfolio management, tax planning, risk management and insurance, asset protection structures, executive compensation and stock options, business succession planning, education and family support, charitable giving strategies, retirement planning, estate distribution, and liquidity or credit management.
Rather than treating these decisions in isolation, Private Wealth Strategist examines how they interact—because the structure of one decision often shapes the outcome of another.
Christi Shell serves as Managing Director and Private Wealth Strategist at Shell Capital Management, LLC.
Charitable gifts are deductible, but only within specific AGI limits. For affluent households, coordinating philanthropy with income timing, appreciated assets, and liquidity events can materially affect the deduction’s value.
If you are writing a meaningful charitable check this year, the structure of that gift matters as much as the cause itself. Many families default to giving cash. But if you hold appreciated securities with embedded gains, donating shares instead of cash can reduce capital gains exposure while still supporting the organizations you value. The difference can be material, especially in higher-income or liquidity years. Charitable giving at scale is not a year-end transaction. It is a capital allocation decision that should align with your income pattern, concentration exposure, estate objectives, and long-term governance. Structure determines outcome.
Tennessee estate planning adviser shares a guideline for how often investors should review their estate strategy and also include some important life changes that should prompt an immediate review.
As the new year quickly approaches, make sure you’re prepared with your year-end giving strategy checklist.
Here are some things you might consider before saying goodbye to 2022.