Situated in the South Pacific, about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, is a tiny island nation that is home to around 15,000 people—and untold billions in assets from the world's ultrawealthy.
Called the Cook Islands, it has become one of the most popular offshore trust destinations over the past few decades. It's the kind of place where a billionaire American tech titan or well-to-do surgeon can go to enjoy coral reefs, rainforests, and turquoise lagoons, and then shield millions in assets from creditors and U.S. courts all in one trip.
