Protecting Assets
Owning assets in your personal name leaves them exposed to lawsuits, judgments, and creditor claims. Layered protection — using LLCs, a properly structured trust, and adequate insurance — can place those assets behind defensible barriers.
What you should know
- Operating businesses and investment real estate held in your personal name can expose every other asset you own to a lawsuit involving that business or property.
- An LLC can isolate liability inside the business or property it holds — keeping a problem in one place from reaching the rest of your estate.
- Alabama recognizes Domestic Asset Protection Trusts oDAPTs), an irrevocable trust structure designed to shield assets from future creditors while letting you retain meaningful benefits.
- Asset protection planning works only when done before a claim or threat exists. Done in reaction to a known liability, it can be unwound as a fraudulent transfer.
- The strongest protection usually comes from layering — insurance, the right entities, and the right trust — not from any single tool.
How exposed are your assets right now?
Nine quick questions about how your assets are titled and protected. Brent reads your answer back to you at the end.
A 60-second guided check. See where your assets are most exposed today.