Learn with Douglass Lodmell
Key Concepts of
Asset Protection
One concept. One short lesson. Then a quick check.
Follow the original 15-part series in order. Read each lesson at your own pace, then answer one or two questions. The original video is there if you want to watch it.
The concepts, in their original order
Separate Ownership From Beneficial Use and Control
Owning an asset, using it, and controlling it are not always the same thing.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 02Use A Trust
A trust gives different people defined roles around the same assets.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 03Irrevocability
You give up the power to simply undo the trust on your own.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 04Spendthrift Provisions
The trust’s rules can protect benefits from poor decisions and some creditor claims.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 05Self-Settled Trusts
You can be both the person who creates the trust and a person it benefits.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 06Jurisdiction
The rules change from one state or country to another.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 07The Offshore Edge
A different legal system can put more steps between a claimant and trust assets.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 08Cost v. Benefit
Weigh the added protection against expense, control, and ongoing work.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 09The Domestic Upside
Useful protection may start with familiar tools in the United States.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 10The Domestic Fatal Flaw
A favorable state law does not remove the power of the U.S. court system.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 11The Bridge Trust
The concept connects domestic day-to-day use with an offshore framework.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 12Use a COP Entity
A charging order can give a creditor a right to distributions without making them an owner-manager.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 13Fraudulent Conveyance
A court can undo certain transfers, so timing is part of the plan.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 14The Target Zone
A lawsuit can put both your finances and your peace of mind under pressure.
Open lesson →CONCEPT 15Education v. Action
Choose the right help, understand the plan, and put it into practice.
Open lesson →Adapted from Douglass Lodmell’s original recordings. The lessons keep each concept’s central point, with light editing for reading. They are not word-for-word transcripts. View the original series.
Educational information. Your legal and tax advice must fit your own facts.