Lumida Wealth Management LLC 2026. All rights reserved.
Trust & Estate Planning
Trust & Estate Planning for Founders
Your equity can grow fast. A trust set up early can move that future growth outside your taxable estate.
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Why this matters
Founders put off estate planning. The estate keeps growing anyway.
The legal pieces, the investment pieces and the access details sit with different people. So planning waits. Meanwhile, the company grows, and so does the estate tax exposure.
The cost of waiting
Growth outside a trust stays in your taxable estate.
The longer assets grow before they move into an irrevocable trust, the more of that growth stays exposed to estate tax.
Pre-liquidity equity and private company shares.
Concentrated public stock.
Alternative investments that are gaining value.
Case examples
Two common founder scenarios.
A
At formation
A founder files an 83(b) election, then moves shares into a trust while their value is still low. Growth on those shares can then build outside the estate.
B
Before a liquidity event
A late-stage founder moves part of their shares into a trust before an IPO. Appreciation from that point on can sit outside the taxable estate.
Illustrative examples, not actual clients or results. The right steps depend on your situation and your attorney's advice.
What a trust achieves
What a Proper Trust Structure Achieves
01
Moves growth out of your estate
Assets in an irrevocable trust, and their future growth, can sit outside your taxable estate.
02
Protects and governs
A trust can help shield assets from creditors. It also sets the rules for how and when heirs receive them.
03
Keeps it private
Probate filings are public. Assets held in a trust pass outside probate, so the details stay private.
Where plans break down
Where Most Estate Plans Break Down
Most plans don't fail on paper. They fail in the details.
Accounts and documents spread across banks, brokers and law firms.
Documents that are missing, out of date or never signed.
Heirs who don't know what exists or how to reach it.
The Lumida Vault
One place for everything your family needs to find.
The Lumida Vault keeps your family's accounts, entities, trust documents and instructions organized in one secure place.
Personal IDs and records.
Private fund documents and contacts.
Estate plans and insurance policies.
How Lumida works
We work with your attorney and CPA, not instead of them.
Lumida is a registered investment adviser. We coordinate the plan, the investments and the paperwork with your estate attorney and tax professional.
Our CEO, Ram Ahluwalia, invests his own capital alongside clients.
As seen in
SEC-registered fiduciaries, backed by former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt.
Who it's for
Who This Is Designed For
Founders, from formation through pre-IPO.
Investors with concentrated stock or private holdings.
Families with trusts, entities and accounts at several institutions.
Next step
Start with a confidential assessment.
We review what you own, how it is held and where your estate is exposed. Then we map the next steps with your attorney.
The goal: protection, privacy and coordination.
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Disclaimers
Lumida Wealth Management LLC is a registered investment adviser. SEC registration does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and does not indicate a particular level of skill or ability.
This material is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or investment advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. Tax laws are subject to change, and strategies that are effective under current law may not remain effective in the future.
Lumida does not provide legal services. Trusts and estate documents are prepared by your attorney. The examples on this page are illustrative and do not represent actual clients or results.
CNBC does not endorse Lumida.