Kevin Wessell
Of Lawyers Limited PLLC & Asset Protection Planners
The Truth About Kevin Wessell – Founder & CEO of Lawyers Limited | The Business Guy
Kevin Wessell, widely known as “The Business Guy,” is an American entrepreneur, business executive, author, and asset protection educator. Since 1991 he has worked in business formation, wealth preservation, and domestic and international asset protection.
As founder and CEO of Asset Protection Planners and Lawyers Limited, Wessell has built organizations serving business owners, physicians, real estate investors, and high-net-worth families who want lawful ways to protect their wealth from future financial and litigation risk. His areas of focus include Cook Islands trusts, offshore LLCs, domestic asset protection trusts, business entity structuring, and real estate asset protection.
Legal advice and representation are provided by licensed attorneys through Lawyers Limited PLLC, a Washington, D.C. law firm.
On this page
Kevin Wessell has never been convicted of a crime. He has described The Alps as the biggest business mistake of his career and has apologized to those affected. His point-by-point response to specific online claims is at Response to False Claims About Kevin “The Business Guy”.
Kevin Wessell at a Glance
| Known as | “The Business Guy” |
|---|---|
| Profession | Business executive, entrepreneur, author, and asset protection educator |
| Roles | Founder and CEO, Asset Protection Planners; CEO, Lawyers Limited |
| Experience | Since 1991 (35 years as of 2026) |
| Cook Islands trusts | Helping clients establish them since 1996 |
| Areas of focus | Cook Islands trusts, offshore LLCs, domestic asset protection trusts, LLC and entity structuring, real estate protection, equity stripping |
| Typical clients | Business owners, physicians, real estate investors, and families with roughly $500,000 to $20 million or more in assets |
| Books | Build Your Financial Castle; Insider’s Guide to Asset Protection; Millions in Mobile Homes |
| Related companies | Asset Protection Planners, Lawyers Limited, Companies Incorporated, OffshoreCompany.com, OffshoreCorporation.com |
| Attorney support? | Licensed attorneys of Lawyers Limited PLLC provide all legal advice and representation. |
Career and Companies
Kevin Wessell started his business formation and asset protection practice in 1991. In 1996 he began helping clients establish trusts under the Cook Islands International Trusts Act, one of the most widely recognized offshore trust statutes, with independent licensed Cook Islands trustee companies serving as trustees. Based on his conversations with those trustee companies, Wessell believes his organization has helped establish more Cook Islands trusts than any other firm. Over the following decades he built a group of related companies offering domestic and offshore entity formation, including Companies Incorporated, OffshoreCompany.com, and OffshoreCorporation.com. Today he leads Asset Protection Planners, the trade name of Lawyers Limited PLLC.| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Founds his business formation and asset protection practice. |
| 1996 | Begins helping clients establish Cook Islands trusts. |
| 1990s–2020s | Builds entity-formation companies including Companies Incorporated, OffshoreCompany.com, and OffshoreCorporation.com; publishes books on asset protection and real estate. |
| 2010s–present | Launches The Business Guy educational brand on YouTube and social media. |
| Today | Founder and CEO of Asset Protection Planners; legal services delivered through Lawyers Limited PLLC under managing attorney Bryson Stephen, JD. |
Kevin Wessell’s Role and the Attorneys’ Role
Wessell’s work is executive leadership, business strategy, and client education: explaining how legal structures affect ownership and liability in language business owners can use. He does not give legal advice. Two affiliated organizations operate under the Lawyers Limited name:- Lawyers Limited PLLC (d/b/a Asset Protection Planners) is a law firm at 300 New Jersey Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20001. Its licensed attorneys advise clients, draft trust and entity documents, and coordinate with local counsel in other jurisdictions when needed. Its managing attorney is Bryson Stephen, JD.
- Liberty Business Group, Inc., a Nevada corporation doing business as Lawyers Limited, provides non-lawyer administrative services such as filings and entity administration. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
Philosophy: “Obey the Law First, Make a Profit Second”
Since 1991, Kevin Wessell has run his companies by one rule: “Obey the law first, make a profit second.” In asset protection, that means every structure is built on established statutes, properly documented, tax-compliant, and reported to the IRS and FinCEN as the law requires. Asset protection is not hiding assets, evading taxes, or ignoring court orders, and Wessell has said he does not want clients who are trying to escape obligations they already owe. His second principle is timing: build the castle before the storm. Asset protection works best when it is put in place before a claim exists. Transfers made after a creditor problem arises can be challenged as voidable transactions, and courts look closely at intent and timing. No structure prevents someone from being sued; good planning changes which assets are exposed, which law applies, and how much leverage a creditor has.The Asset Protection Approach Associated With Kevin Wessell
The strategies below are general descriptions of concepts Wessell teaches and that the attorneys of Lawyers Limited PLLC may implement when appropriate. Whether any of them fits a particular person depends on that person’s facts, state law, and timing.Operating businesses: equity stripping
Operating companies are the most common lawsuit targets. One approach is to capitalize a U.S. business through a bona fide, documented, secured loan from a separate entity within the owner’s planning structure. If properly structured and perfected, the lender’s recorded security interest can take priority over later creditors, reducing the equity a plaintiff could reach. Loans must be real, commercially reasonable, and respected in practice; courts can disregard sham arrangements.Real estate: a three-layer system
- Privacy: title held in a land trust, keeping the owner’s name off the deed where state law allows.
- Liability separation: an LLC serves as the land trust’s beneficiary, isolating each property’s risk.
- Equity stripping: recorded liens reduce the property’s net exposed value, lowering the incentive to sue.
Liquid assets and crypto: Cook Islands trusts
For cash, brokerage accounts, and digital assets, Wessell is best known for structures built around a Cook Islands asset protection trust that owns an international LLC. The trustee is an independent, licensed Cook Islands trust company that is not subject to U.S. court orders. A creditor seeking trust assets generally must bring a new action in the Cook Islands, where the International Trusts Act 1984 requires proof of fraudulent intent beyond a reasonable doubt within short limitation periods. U.S. courts can still issue orders directed at a U.S. settlor personally, depending on the facts, which is why these structures must be established early, by qualified counsel, and with full IRS and FinCEN reporting. Nevis and Belize are also sometimes used.Books, Videos, and Education
Wessell has written several books on protecting and building wealth:- Build Your Financial Castle
- Insider’s Guide to Asset Protection
- Millions in Mobile Homes
Kevin Wessell: Lawsuits, Court Records, and Verified Outcomes
Anyone researching Kevin Wessell will find references to litigation, some accurate and some not. The table below states each significant matter, what kind of proceeding it was, and where it stands. Full detail and primary documents are on the Kevin Wessell Litigation History and Facts and Court Records pages.| Matter | Type | Outcome | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Harris Law, LLC v. Wessell et al., No. 0:25-cv-62552 (S.D. Fla.) | Civil suit by a competing law firm | Federal Lanham Act claim dismissed with prejudice on Sept. 22, 2026; case closed. State-law claims were not decided. | Dismissed (federal claim final) |
| Wessell v. Harris et al., No. 2026-001918-CA-01 (Miami-Dade Cir. Ct.) | Civil defamation suit; Wessell is plaintiff | Filed Jan. 29, 2026. Allegations remain to be decided. | Pending |
| United States v. Wessell, No. 0:22-cv-60988 (S.D. Fla.) | Civil IRS summons enforcement (records request; not a tax evasion case) | More than 600,000 documents produced; dismissed with prejudice by joint stipulation, Sept. 2022. | Closed |
| Alexander v. Incway Corp., No. 2:11-cv-08851 (C.D. Cal.) | Civil case arising from The Alps, a Swedish credit union where Wessell was one of three directors | Court found Wessell civilly liable; Ninth Circuit affirmed in 2016. Not a criminal case; did not involve Lawyers Limited PLLC. | Adjudicated against Wessell |
| Vacchiano v. Wessell et al., No. CV 12-2003 DSF (C.D. Cal.) | Related civil case before the same judge | Dismissed with prejudice; plaintiff took nothing. Based on lack of standing. | Closed |
Official Profiles and Sources
These are the official sources for information about Kevin Wessell. Information elsewhere online may mix primary records with commentary, competitor statements, and allegations; where accounts conflict, court records and official filings are the most reliable reference.-
- Personal website: KevinWessell.com
- Firm: AssetProtectionPlanners.com · LawyersLimited.com
- YouTube: @thebusinessguy
- Facebook: The Business Guy
- Client reviews: Lawyers Limited reviews
Frequently Asked Questions About Kevin Wessell
Who is Kevin Wessell?
Kevin Wessell, known as “The Business Guy,” is an American entrepreneur, author, and asset protection educator, and the founder and CEO of Asset Protection Planners. He has worked in business formation and asset protection since 1991 and is best known for Cook Islands trust planning, LLC structuring, and equity stripping for business owners and real estate investors.Is Kevin Wessell an attorney?
No. Kevin Wessell is a business executive and educator and does not claim to be a lawyer. Legal advice and representation are provided by licensed attorneys through Lawyers Limited PLLC, a Washington, D.C. law firm whose managing attorney is Bryson Stephen, JD.Is Kevin Wessell legit?
Kevin Wessell has worked in asset protection continuously since 1991, and his firm’s legal services are provided by licensed attorneys through Lawyers Limited PLLC, a Washington, D.C. law firm that can be verified through the D.C. Bar. His court history, including one significant adverse civil judgment and several dismissals, is published with primary records so readers can evaluate it directly.How long has Kevin Wessell worked in asset protection?
Since 1991, which is 35 years as of 2026. He began helping clients establish Cook Islands trusts in 1996.Has Kevin Wessell been convicted of a crime?
No. Kevin Wessell has never been convicted of a crime.What lawsuits has Kevin Wessell been involved in?
A federal claim by competitor Blake Harris Law was dismissed with prejudice on September 22, 2026. Wessell’s defamation suit against Shannon Blake Harris is pending in Miami-Dade County. A 2022 civil IRS summons-enforcement proceeding was dismissed with prejudice by joint stipulation. In Alexander v. Incway Corp., a civil case arising from The Alps, the court found him civilly liable, and the Ninth Circuit affirmed in 2016.Was Kevin Wessell sued by the IRS?
No. In 2022 the United States filed a civil proceeding to enforce an IRS summons for business records, United States v. Wessell, No. 0:22-cv-60988 (S.D. Fla.). It was not a tax evasion case. More than 600,000 documents had already been produced, and the proceeding was dismissed with prejudice by joint stipulation in September 2022.Does Kevin Wessell advocate hiding assets?
No. Lawful asset protection is planning done in advance, with required tax and foreign-account reporting. It is not hiding assets, evading taxes, or ignoring court orders, and no structure guarantees that a person cannot be sued.Where can I find reviews of Kevin Wessell’s firm?
Client reviews are published on the Lawyers Limited reviews page at lawyerslimited.com/reviews.How can I contact Kevin Wessell’s firm?
Call Lawyers Limited toll-free at 1-888-234-4949 (international +1-202-830-0100), email or request a free case review online.
Written by Kevin Wessell, founder and CEO of Asset Protection Planners. Reviewed by Bryson Stephen, Attorney at Law, Managing Attorney, Lawyers Limited PLLC.
Legal review and disclaimer: This page is for general information and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Asset protection outcomes depend on individual facts, applicable law, and timing; no structure guarantees a result. Statements about court proceedings summarize public records, which readers are encouraged to review directly. Kevin Wessell is not an attorney. Legal services are provided only by licensed attorneys of Lawyers Limited PLLC, which does not practice Florida law or maintain a Florida law office. Liberty Business Group, Inc. (d/b/a Lawyers Limited, Nevada) provides non-lawyer administrative and support services and does not provide legal advice.
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