VIEDA to Host Estate Planning Conference on September 18, 2025
St. Thomas - Muse, St. Croix- University of the Virgin Islands Great Hall.
VIEDA’s Enterprise Zone Commission to Host Estate Planning Conference on September 18, 2025
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, St. Thomas – September 4, 2025 – To improve the opportunity for families to address the issue of abandoned properties in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA), through the Enterprise Zone Commission, is hosting a free estate planning conference on Thursday, September 18, 2025 from 5PM to 8PM. Registration is mandatory and is open until Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
Interested persons can register by phone by contacting the VIEDA office on St. Thomas at 340-714-1700 or St. Croix at 340-773-6499; or online at www.usvieda.org .
The conference will provide essential information on estate planning options and the probate process in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Attendees will learn about wills, trusts, and the vital role of estate planning to preserve property, particularly in the Territory’s distressed neighborhoods, particularly within the enterprise zones in the USVI.
Legal experts will lead discussions and be available to answer common questions such as:
- “What should I do if I don’t have a will or trust?”
- “I have a will, but are there other ways to plan my estate?”
- “My property has multiple owners, some of whom are deceased and did not have a will. What are my options?”
- “Is it possible to avoid the probate process if there is a will?”
- “Is it important to update the beneficiaries on my policies?”
and more.
This conference will be held at two locations simultaneously, via video conference, between St. Thomas and St. Croix:
ST. CROIX:
University of the Virgin Islands’ Great Hall
Albert A. Sheen Campus
Rural Route (RR) No. 1
Kingshill, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 00850
ST. THOMAS:
Muse
3077 Kronprindsens Gade No. 1
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00802
(Located on the Waterfront next to the G Muscles Fitness Center and in the vicinity of the former USO building in downtown Charlotte Amalie)
Due to space limitations at each conference venue, pre-registration is mandatory.
“The VIEDA and the Enterprise Zone Commission thanks the community for their continuous interest, engagement and participation during the years this conference has been held,” said Nadine Marchena Kean, managing director, VIEDA Enterprise Zone Commission. “However, due to ending of the grant that funds this conference, this will be our final Estate Planning Conference – at least for a while – so we encourage our USVI community to attend on September 18th to receive critical information they may need and to get answers to any questions they may have about estate planning, either for themselves or their family members,” added Mrs. Marchena Kean.
The EZC has hosted these conferences for many years as part of its ongoing efforts to help reduce the number of vacant buildings within the enterprise zones, thereby helping to revitalize the economy and physical appearance of blighted and severely distressed areas across the U.S. Virgin Islands. The enterprise zones in the U.S. Virgin Islands are Garden Street-UpStreet and Savanne-Downstreet on St. Thomas, and Frederiksted and Christiansted on St. Croix, USVI. By executive order entered by the Honorable Albert Bryan, Jr., Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, in 2025, new commercial zones have been established in the downtown area of Charlotte Amalie and in Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI.
More than 4,500 individuals have attended the Estate Planning Conferences both virtually and in person. The conference has also led to the development of a pilot program under the EZC to assist families – with the help of legal expertise – in resolving property challenges and making decisions regarding estate-planning issues. Through this pilot program, more than eight families have been assisted.
For questions, an email can be sent to [email protected].
About the Enterprise Zone Commission:
The EZC provides tax credits and exemptions for individuals to rehabilitate buildings or properties, operate a business and create jobs for residents within the designated enterprise zones of Christiansted and Frederiksted on St. Croix; Savanne-Downstreet and Garden Street-Upstreet on St. Thomas. Since 2010, EZC has hosted estate planning conferences to augment efforts by reducing the number of vacant buildings within the enterprise zones. These programs help to revitalize the economy and the physical appearance of blighted and severely distressed areas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
