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Trustee services
One of the most important decisions in your estate planning process is determining who will oversee your estate and the trusts you create during your lifetime and after your death. Like many people, you may intend to pass your wealth to your family and other beneficiaries. You also want to protect it from the erosion of taxes and potential creditors.
We help you create trust strategies that bring real insight to the planning process to help ensure that your intentions are met. We guide you in creating trusts that are flexible and designed to accommodate your circumstances as they evolve.
The highest standard in trust administration
The role of trustee carries important responsibilities, a significant commitment of time and potential legal liabilities. We will handle all these obligations, ensuring your wishes are fulfilled and preserving your legacy for generations. Our trust and estate professionals bring an average of 24 years of experience, providing stability and continuity for you and your family.
The work we do as your trustee
1. Serve beneficiaries fairly and objectively
- Making scheduled distributions and evaluating special requests
- Keeping all beneficiaries informed of trust activity
- Resolving any disputes among beneficiaries
- Communicating with your CPA, attorney and other advisors
2. Make unbiased decisions
We make major decisions with respect to discretionary distributions without bias. Our approach is grounded in both a professional understanding of trust provisions as well as the personal understanding we gain about you, your family and your family’s intentions.
3. Manage recordkeeping and reporting
Our extensive technology and bookkeeping systems ensure meticulous accounting of receipts and disbursements to provide accurate reporting to beneficiaries and tax authorities.
4. Invest trust assets to meet the needs of beneficiaries
- Portfolio construction and investment selection
- Balancing the need for income and growth between current and future beneficiaries
- Maintaining liquidity without compromising the portfolio’s long-term growth potential
- Thoughtfully selling assets to raise cash for distributions
5. Safeguard assets
We are highly regulated to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, and an internal audit team examines accounts on a regular basis. All these reports are reviewed by our independent board. Such safeguards generally don't exist with an individual trustee, such as a family member or friend.
6. Provide consistency of service
We are always readily available and devote our full time and attention to the required duties and responsibilities of administering your trust. Unlike an individual trustee, a corporate trustee will not go on vacation, predecease you or otherwise be unable to administer your trust.
The types of trusts we manage
We can support most types of irrevocable and revocable trust structures.
Once your trust is set up, your trust officer and portfolio manager work closely together to ensure your trust’s investment strategy is aligned with your circumstances. We manage the day-to-day responsibilities of your trust, which often involves handling the personal relationships and family dynamics that come into play.
Trusts for protection
- Special needs trusts
- Silent trusts
- International trusts
Trusts for tax-effective gifting
- Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRAT)
- Dynasty Trusts
- Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs)
- Grantor Trusts
- Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs)
Trusts for charitable giving
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
- Charitable Lead Trusts
Trusts for wealth transfer
- Qualified Terminable Interest Property Trust (QTIP)
Flexibility to work with us how you choose
We can provide trustee services in a range of capacities, from having primary responsibility as your sole trustee, to joint responsibility with you or another individual, or as agent to provide guidance and perform tasks at your direction. We can also be appointed as successor trustee to step in when a trustee passes away or is no longer capable of performing their duties.
SOLE EXECUTOR/TRUSTEE
Fiduciary Trust International has primary responsibility
You are not responsible for signing documents on behalf of the estate or trust.
CO-EXECUTOR/TRUSTEE
You have joint responsibility with Fiduciary Trust International
We provide advice and perform administrative tasks that you authorize.
You are responsible for signing documents, including approving distributions and tax returns.
AGENT
You have primary responsibility
We provide guidance and advice and perform tasks at your direction.
You approve and sign documents, approve payments and distributions and sign all tax documents.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
Additional benefits
How our Delaware Trust capabilities can benefit you
Delaware is nationally renowned for its trust and tax law advantages which provide individuals and families with the highest level of financial privacy and wealth protection. Our presence in Delaware allows you to take advantage of a range of benefits.
- Trust assets can benefit future generations, tax free
- No state income tax on most Delaware trusts
- Division of trustee and investment responsibilities
- A business-friendly environment and sophisticated court system
- Allows for all types of assets to be held in trust
Benefits for international clients
Delaware Trusts are an essential tool for international clients, particularly those engaged in the following:
- Creating a foreign trust managed in the U.S.
- Gifting to U.S. beneficiaries or transferring assets in anticipation of immigrating to the U.S.
- Leaving an inheritance to U.S. beneficiaries from an offshore estate
- Managing a domestic trust for a surviving spouse who is not a U.S. citizen
Related Insights
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Talk to us today
Let us review your current situation and show you how we can partner to help you reach your financial goals.