From a legal standpoint, the trust itself is the official owner of any assets that have been retitled and transferred into it – not you as an individual.
Rigidity: Family trusts are often inflexible, making it difficult to alter the terms once they are established. This rigidity can be problematic if family circumstances change, such as in cases of divorce, remarriage or changes in financial status.
Generally speaking, once a trust becomes irrevocable, the trustee is entirely in control of the trust assets and the donor has no further rights to the assets and may not be a beneficiary or serve as a trustee.
The trustee of the trust will be the person or legal entity who will legally own and exercise the day-to-day control of your family trust. For example, this person will hold the legal equitable title to a property on behalf of someone else (the beneficiary).
The trustee manages the trust and distributes its assets at a prescribed time. The trustee is in charge of managing the assets in an irrevocable trust while the grantor is still alive.
Selecting the wrong trustee is easily the biggest blunder parents can make when setting up a trust fund. As estate planning attorneys, we've seen first-hand how this critical error undermines so many parents' good intentions.
While trustees may temporarily be able to delay trust distributions if a valid reason exists for them doing so, they are rarely entitled to hold trust assets indefinitely or refuse beneficiaries the gifts they were left through the trust.
Trustees. The trustees are the legal owners of the assets held in a trust. Their role is to: deal with the assets according to the settlor's wishes, as set out in the trust deed or their will.
In addition to following all directions in the trust document, the trustee is responsible for: Assuming legal responsibility for administration of the trust. Taking control of and protecting trust assets. Handling accounting responsibilities of the trust.
Parents and other family members who want to pass on assets during their lifetimes may be tempted to gift the assets. Although setting up an irrevocable trust lacks the simplicity of giving a gift, it may be a better way to preserve assets for the future.
How to dissolve and close your Family Trust. You must formally wind up (vest) the trust to close down this unused structure. Build this Vesting a Discretionary Trust deed on our law firm's website.
Once your home is in the trust, it's no longer considered part of your personal assets, thereby protecting it from being used to pay for nursing home care. However, this must be done in compliance with Medicaid's look-back period, typically 5 years before applying for Medicaid benefits.
The one establishing a trust is called the trustor or grantor. The one who oversees and manages the trust is called the trustee. In a revocable trust, the trustor may control the trust as well, but in an irrevocable trust, the trustee must be somebody else.
The trustee(s) The trustee is the legal owner of the trust property (although not necessarily a beneficial owner), and is responsible for managing the trust fund. Being the legal owner, all of the transactions of the trust are carried out in the name of the trustee.
The grantor can set up the trust so the money is distributed directly to the beneficiaries free and clear of limitations. The trustee can transfer real estate to the beneficiary by having a new deed written up or selling the property and giving them the money, writing them a check or giving them cash.
To find out who owns the assets in a revocable trust, look to whoever is the trustee. If the trustee is also the grantor, then the grantor still owns and controls the assets. If the grantor assigned another person or entity as the trustee, the trust owns the assets, which are managed by the trustee.
Rich people frequently place their homes and other financial assets in trusts to reduce taxes and give their wealth to their beneficiaries. They may also do this to protect their property from divorce proceedings and frivolous lawsuits.
A: Property that cannot be held in a trust includes Social Security benefits, health savings and medical savings accounts, and cash. Other types of property that should not go into a trust are individual retirement accounts or 401(k)s, life insurance policies, certain types of bank accounts, and motor vehicles.
Under California law, embezzling trust funds or property valued at $950 or less is a misdemeanor offense and is punishable by up to 6 months in county jail. If a trustee embezzles more than $950 from the trust, they can be charged with felony embezzlement, which carries a sentence of up to 3 years in jail.
Typically, a revocable trust with clear provisions for outright distribution might conclude within 12 to 18 months. However, in simpler cases, the process can take an average of 4 to 5 months without complications.
Trustee: Trustees often have more ongoing authority, especially in the case of living trusts or long-term trusts. They may manage and distribute assets over many years, depending on the terms of the trust.
Disadvantages of a Family Trust
You must prepare and submit legal documents, which the court charges a fee to process. The second financial disadvantage of a family trust is the lack of tax benefits, especially when it comes to filing income taxes. When the grantor dies, the trust must file a federal tax return.
Although a trustee can withdraw money from a trust account for specific things, there are limits. A trustee's fiduciary duty requires them to comply with the grantor's wishes, even if they are well-intentioned. If they violate their fiduciary duties by disregarding a grantor's wishes they could be removed as a trustee.
Trusts offer amazing benefits, but they also come with potential downsides like loss of control, limited access to assets, costs, and recordkeeping difficulties.