I have been teaching the benefits of using a Trust to hold title to your real estate investments for 25 years, and I have been using Trusts in my personal business for more than 40 years. Investors often ask me, “Why do I need to be concerned about who knows what I own?” or “Why do I need to protect my identity?”
Last week, I received an email from one of my students and in part it said, “I created a land trust specifically to help protect my personal identity and privacy due to a past abusive relationship and ongoing stalking issues. This trust was established to allow me to safely purchase real estate while maintaining lawful anonymity.” (The emphasis is mine.)
Have you noticed how much the world has changed in just the last few years? People are more angry, resentful, and aggressively confrontational . . . especially tenants. For twenty of the last 54 years I have been a landlord, I had two little girls growing up in my house. Can you imagine what might happen if an angry tenant that I was evicting (for not paying his rent) looked up the owner of his home and found my name in the county records, then looked up my home address, then knocked on my front door, and my 7-year-old daughter answers the door? It is a frightening thought!
Asset protection is about much more than bricks and mortar. Your need to protect your identity extends to shielding those you love and treasure. It’s about self-defense.
Do I really need to say more?
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