The Trusted Trustee: Who Gets to Have All the Fun?
When you are putting together your estate plan (and shame on you if you haven't done so yet) one of the decisions you may face is 'who should be the trustee?' This question assumes that you are using a trust. Whether it is due to young beneficiaries, special needs, or other circumstances that call for managed control of assets, a trustee is the title assigned to person/entity. So what are the requirements? Capable - A trustee needs to handle investments, accounting, and tax returns. Some people's brains turn to mush with visions of talking cats when faced with dealing with financial issues. Your Uncle Bob might be a great guy, but if he is putting a name to the talking cat and not looking at investment returns and allocations, he might not be the best choice for trustee. Discretionary - Sometimes trustees have to make tough decisions. These may not be popular decisions with the beneficiaries and Uncle Bob may not want to disappoint his nephew/niece...