Partner content by Mikkel Thorup, Founder and CEO of Expat Money.
For generations, family offices have traditionally operated within the borders of a single country. Established by ultra-wealthy families, these private companies oversee a range of services, including investments, tax planning, legacy structures, and philanthropic goals.
Being solely based in their country of residence might have worked when the world was predictable - but that era is over.
Global volatility, legal overreach, rising taxes, and geopolitical risk have exposed the fragility of the traditional family office model. Geographic concentration and legal dependency are no longer features - they’ve become liabilities.
And the wealthy are waking up.
Enter the Offshore Family Office (OFO) - a decentralized, multi-jurisdictional wealth structure engineered for today’s reality.
Past: Traditional Family Office, Single Jurisdiction
The old-school family office operated under one country’s laws, relied on a domestic team of advisors and built investment portfolios anchored in public markets. It was legally inflexible and politically exposed, and assumed mobility was optional. These offices functioned like localized financial hubs, and for decades, they worked, until they didn’t.
Future: Multi-Jurisdictional, Mobile, Resilient
An Offshore Family Office is a cross-border framework that manages, protects, and grows generational wealth with far greater control and resilience.
Instead of being trapped inside one legal system, the OFO integrates offshore trusts to protect against lawsuits and forced heirship, makes use of private interest foundations for long-term legacy planning and establishes holding companies in tax-efficient jurisdictions.
An OFO approach includes real estate and business investments in emerging markets, secure precious metals vaulting, and pursues second citizenships and residencies.
It’s an approach that goes beyond lowering taxes to incorporate jurisdictional agility, asset protection, and long-term strategic sovereignty.
Core Principles of an OFO
Jurisdictional Diversification: Spread your legal exposure. A single government can’t hold your wealth hostage when you operate across multiple systems.
Asset Protection: Offshore structures like trusts and foundations are your firewall. They shield wealth from lawsuits, political chaos, and succession laws that don’t align with your values.
Tax Optimization: Don’t just reduce your tax bill—restructure it. By leveraging territorial tax jurisdictions, you can minimize exposure legally while maximizing reinvestment capital.
Mobility: Residency ≠ Citizenship ≠ Tax Base. The OFO provides optionality through second passports and strategic residencies, giving you full control over where you live and where you’re taxed.
Governance: It’s not enough to build the structure—you must also pass on the playbook. Family charters, succession plans, and operational protocols ensure generational continuity.
Beyond the Strategy: Smaller Team, More Control
While a traditional family office can often employ more than ten full-time staff, an OFO aims to operate efficiently with a lean team and outsourced experts. This is about staying efficient while building a bulletproof system.
The single-country family office model is on the decline. It was built for a world of low volatility and high trust in governments - and we simply no longer live in that world.
The Offshore Family Office is the evolution.
It gives ultra-wealthy families the flexibility, privacy, resilience, and above all, the options they need to secure multigenerational wealth in the uncertain, global world we now live in.
It’s more than a defensive strategy; it’s an approach that allows families to be free, to move, adapt, and preserve their legacy.
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Mikkel Thorup is the Founder and CEO at Expat Money, a residency and citizenship by investment consulting firm he started in 2017. Find out more on what services Expat Money offers here.
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FAQs: The Offshore Family Office (OFO)
What is an Offshore Family Office (OFO)?
A multi-jurisdictional legal and operational framework that manages, protects, and grows family wealth across borders using international tools like offshore trusts, private interest foundations, holding companies, and alternative residencies.
How is an OFO different from a regular family office?
A regular family office is anchored in one legal system in a single country. An OFO operates across many. It’s designed for political resilience, not just financial returns.
Do I need $500M to build an OFO?
No. While traditional family offices required massive capital, leaner OFO models are viable for families with approximately $30M, and scalable as you grow.
Is this just a tax play?
Not at all. The OFO is about control, protection, and mobility. Tax optimization is one feature, but the real value is sovereignty.
What kind of assets belong in an OFO?
Real estate, private businesses, investment portfolios, gold and silver, intellectual property, even offshore insurance and philanthropy vehicles.
Do I need to give up my citizenship to benefit?
No. But adding second residencies or passports strengthens your options and makes the OFO structure even more flexible.
