The core principles that make a trust valid — the three certainties, the parties, and how structures are used for succession, asset protection, and employee benefits.
A trust is not a legal entity. It is an arrangement: a settlor transfers property to a trustee, who holds it for beneficiaries or for a defined purpose. That distinction sounds academic until it drives an outcome — and it is where a great many structures come undone.
This course builds the subject from the ground up. It starts with what a trust actually is and the three certainties every valid trust must satisfy, then works through the full cast of parties — settlor, trustee, beneficiary, protector, enforcer, and appointed enquirer — and what each can and cannot do.
The second half turns practical: estate planning and family succession, asset protection and anti-forced-heirship provisions, business continuity, investment structures, and employee benefit schemes including the MPF. It closes with an honest look at why offshore trusts still dominate over Hong Kong law, and what would have to change for that to shift.
Part 1
What a trust is and is not, the three certainties, duration and revocability, and trust structures using holding companies.
Part 2
Settlors and reserved powers, sham trusts and bilateral deceit, beneficiaries, protectors, enforcers, and appointed enquirers.
Part 3
Fiduciary obligations, dispositive and administrative powers, delegation, and trustee succession and transition.
Part 4
Family succession, asset protection and forced heirship, business continuity, investment vehicles, and employee benefit and retirement schemes.
Once you have watched the seminar, a short multiple-choice assessment unlocks. Score 60% or higher and a Certificate of Attendance for 1 CPT hour is issued immediately, carrying a unique reference number.
The certificate resolves to a public verification page, so an employer or regulator can confirm it without contacting us. It also counts towards the CPT hours ledger on your dashboard.
See how verification worksRelated
Private wealth
Why families are basing their offices in Hong Kong, how the tax concession for family-owned investment holding vehicles works, and what setting one up actually involves.
Course fee
Free
