When it’s time to do your estate planning, you should get assistance from professionals. When you draft your estate plan, you’ll need to work with an estate planning attorney. You also may want to speak with a trust company, which can help facilitate your estate plans and coordinate the activities of your legal and financial professionals, says The Pasadena Journal’s recent article, “Who Can You Trust to Reduce Stress of Estate Planning?”
If you have a reasonable amount of financial assets, you may benefit from the various services provided by a trust organization. Those services can range from administration of a variety of trusts (such as living trusts and charitable trusts) to asset-management services (bill-paying), and safekeeping services (like providing secure vaults for jewelry and collectibles).
Employing a trust company can make things much easier, when it’s time to plan and execute your estate. A trust company can help you in these ways:
- Lessening family fighting. Dividing estate assets can result in ill will and stress in a family. However, a trust company can act as a neutral third party to reduce feelings of unfairness.
- Providing greater control. With a living trust that’s administered by the trust company, you can allow yourself great control over how you want your assets distributed.
- Saving time and energy. With a trust company, you can let them do all the “legwork” of coordinating your plans with your financial professional, tax advisor and attorney. These professionals are also used to dealing with trust companies.
- Adding protection. Trust companies assume fiduciary responsibility for your financial well-being. This means that your best interests are always considered in each service and transaction they perform.
You can select from among many different trust companies, but before choosing one, examine the services and fees of a few different firms.
As you journey toward that time of your life, when estate planning becomes more essential, discuss your plans with an estate planning attorney, a tax advisor and a financial professional about whether using the services of a trust company might be right for you.
Reference: The Pasadena Journal (February 20, 2019) “Who Can You Trust to Reduce Stress of Estate Planning?”
