The Paradox of Stability: Why True Resilience Today Requires Foresight
In advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals and entrepreneurial families, long-term orientation is the decisive benchmark. Those who establish structures – for example in the form of Liechtenstein foundations or trusts – do not think in quarters, but in generations. Yet the meaning of stability itself has fundamentally changed.
For a long time, the prevailing assumption was that a legally sound structure, once established, required little or no adjustment over many years or even decades. It served as a static bulwark against the passage of time. In today’s globally interconnected and highly regulated environment, this paradigm has shifted. A structure that lacks inherent flexibility risks becoming fragile in a dynamic world. True stability in the 21st century is therefore not a static condition, but the result of continuous, forward-looking compliance.
The modern structure as a learning system
International developments – whether driven by OECD initiatives, new EU regulations, or geopolitical shifts – must not undermine the foundations of private wealth. To ensure this, the concept of structural resilience has moved to the forefront.
Rather than insulating structures against global change, targeted adaptation mechanisms can be embedded at the outset within statutes, by-laws, and regulations. In practice, this includes, for example:
- precisely drafted adjustment and opening clauses that enable governing bodies to respond to regulatory changes without affecting the core purpose of the foundation or the beneficiary framework;
- clearly defined allocations of authority between the foundation board, advisory bodies, and any protectors, ensuring legally robust decision-making even in extraordinary circumstances;
- regulations designed with a modular structure, deliberately allowing for further development without destabilising the fundamental order of the foundation.
An excellent wealth architecture is characterised, among other things, by the fact that it:
- integrates anticipatory compliance: Regulatory trends – such as increasing substance requirements, transparency obligations, or new international reporting regimes – are addressed proactively rather than reactively. This allows for measured and controlled adjustments before external pressure arises.
- preserves legal capacity to act: Modern governance clauses ensure that changing framework conditions can be addressed without jeopardising long-term succession planning or wealth strategy, and without creating internal deadlock.
- uses substance as a foundation: Genuine organisational, personal, and operational anchoring in a first-class jurisdiction such as Liechtenstein is not a formal exercise, but a key stabilising factor vis-à-vis international partners and regulators alike.
Liechtenstein: The connection between tradition and modernity
Liechtenstein offers ideal conditions for this approach. Its foundation and trust law provides internationally recognised protection of privacy and property, while at the same time ranking among the most flexible and adaptable legal systems worldwide.
This enables the creation of wealth structures that are robust enough to withstand political and economic crises, yet sufficiently precise to evolve in line with international developments. The objective is a structure that will endure across generations – precisely because it was designed from the outset so that change is not a threat, but an integral element of its stability.
Conclusion: Security through strategic foresight
Today, the greatest risk to significant wealth is not change itself, but a structure that fails to anticipate it. Security arises where legal precision meets strategic foresight.
Wealth architectures should not be preserved for the world of yesterday, but designed with a clear understanding of the requirements of tomorrow. True stability is demonstrated by a structure’s ability to fulfil its purpose even under changing conditions: the long-term protection of the family and its core values.
FS+P: Context and role
FS+P AG supports the conception, implementation, and ongoing development of long-term wealth structures as an independent, mid-sized fiduciary firm. The focus is not on standardised solutions, but on tailor-made structures whose statutes, by-laws, and regulations are designed from the outset for resilience, governance clarity, and international compatibility.
As founder and owner of FS+P AG, Dr. Marco Felder does not see himself as a mere administrator of existing arrangements, but as a strategic architect of multi-generational wealth models. His work combines deep Liechtenstein structuring expertise with a nuanced understanding of international developments. The objective is to create structures for clients that not only meet today’s requirements, but continue to function reliably under future regulatory, economic, and family circumstances.