Get a Consultation

Hess-Verdon & Associates

Call us Today

What are the Trustee Responsibilities and Obligations

Your responsibility as a trustee is to administer and manage the trust in accordance with its beneficiaries. This involves making sound investment decisions, allocating trust assets in accordance with the agreement, and maintaining accurate records. Regular accounting statements must be provided to beneficiaries. You also have to pay taxes due by the trust. You must also act with prudent and transparent behavior, taking reasonable care to avoid conflicts of interests such as misappropriation. You could be sued if you fail to perform your duties as trustee. It is highly recommended that you consult an experienced trust attorney – Hess-Verdon & Associates can provide guidance.

What Are The Trustee Responsibilities And Obligations

by | Oct 17, 2023

What Does a Trustee Do

A successor trustee, i.e., a trustee, is the legal owner of assets in the Trust. They assume fiduciary responsibilities for managing the assets and carrying out the Trust’s purposes.

To continue, a trustee is a person who acts as the custodian of assets in a trust. The Trustee is responsible for managing and administering Trust funds following the trustor’s instructions. The Trustee is responsible for keeping track of income and expenses, distributing funds to beneficiaries, and filing tax returns. As the name suggests, the Trustee is the person responsible for managing the assets of a Trust. Again, trustees can be individuals or organizations that manage trust assets and property.

Duties of a Trustee of an Irrevocable Trust

Trust assets and trust funds will be disbursed by trust agreement in two ways. One, they can pay out all at once or overtime. Beneficiaries are given the trust assets, but the Trustee manages them. The Trustee has legal obligations because they control assets in the best interests of those it serves. Beneficiaries should be treated fairly by trustees. The Trustee should not act for beneficiaries’ benefit, but for the benefit of the Trust, the trust documents.

Regarding legal or tax advice, don’t hesitate to contact a Hess-Verdon lawyer today to understand what tax implications can occur with your family situation and estate plans.

What is the role of a trustee?

As a trustee, your trustee responsibilities and obligations are to the trust document, or you may be personally liable. A trust is a binding legal contract. Trustees are fiduciaries – by law, they have a legal duty to comply with the trust instructions. The responsibilities of a trustee should be prudent at all times for the benefit of the trust beneficiaries.

Now, let’s review the instructions for a Trustee in the event of the following:

  1. A physical or mental incapacity
  2. At death

Now, you can consider three primary types of trustees. They are a family trustee, corporate Trustee, and a private, professional fiduciary.

 

Trustee Responsibilities and Obligations

A deceased person’s property should go through probate before passing to new owners in California. California law help create revocable living trusts that can distribute assets and property after the owner’s death. The purpose of the Trust is to distribute assets to the beneficiaries. The significant advantage of the Trust is to avoid the expense and uncertainty of probate proceedings in court. If you are a trustee, it is essential to consult a trust attorney.

Trusts offer the following benefits.

• Precise control of property distribution

• Ensuring property goes as the owner intended

• Avoiding the time, risk, and expense of probate proceedings.

California Trust Law and Trustee Duties

California laws place duties on every Trustee and co-trustee. The co-trustee should carry out the terms of the trust document and stay within the boundaries of California law. The co-trustee typically cannot act independently in California. The scope and application of trustee responsibilities and obligations depend on the Trust and the beneficiaries’ overall situation. Legal advice can support the trust administration and provide valuable assistance at every stage.

Many situations suggest the need for advice from an experienced trust attorney. They include the need to defend the legal interest of the Trust, avoid losses, and manage assets located outside of the state of California. Expert legal help can support a successful administration and avoid time-consuming issues.

Powers of a Trustee

The trust document is a relatively simple arrangement. A person called a grantor creates living trusts via an estate planning process. The terms place assets under the control of the living trusts. Once the grantor passes, living trusts become an irrevocable trust. The Trustee manages the irrevocable Trust. Usually, the first or original Trustee is the grantor.

The Trust estate plans give the following:

  • Legal title to the assets to the Trustee.
  • The Trust gives beneficial ownership to the beneficiaries.
  • The beneficiaries receive the trust assets.

 

Trustee Responsibilities and Obligations

A California trustee’s legal obligations come from California trust law and trustee duties in the trust document. California law sets out a trustee’s responsibilities, and the rules apply to every Trust and Trustee.

The below-listed items describe the duties and responsibilities of trustees under the California Probate Code.

• Loyalty to the Beneficiaries- The law requires a duty of loyalty. Trustees should always act in the interests of the beneficiaries. This duty may be complicated when there are two or more beneficiaries. Learn who has more rights, a trustee or beneficiary.

• Personal Interests – A trustee should continuously pursue the beneficiaries’ interests and avoid conflict with personal interests. A conflict of interest with the Trust interferes with the duty of loyalty owed to the beneficiaries.

• Remain Impartial – A trustee should remain impartial to the beneficiaries. When trusts have more than one beneficiary, a trustee should manage the assets in ways that do not favor any beneficiary. This duty is consistent with the obligation to act in the interests of the beneficiaries.

• Information – Trustees have a duty of disclosure that runs in favor of the beneficiaries. The Trustee should provide information that beneficiaries need to protect their interests in the trust assets.

• Duty to Perform Duties – The Trustee should not delegate their powers to other people or entities. A trustee may hire experts to perform duties outside their capabilities, including retaining expert legal advice.

• No Mixing Assets – The Trustee cannot mix Trust and personal assets. The Trustee should always work for the benefit of the Trust, and they should avoid self-dealing and the appearance of self-dealing.

• Defend the Trust – The Trustee has a legal duty to enforce the Trust’s rights. A trustee should defend claims against the Trust and enforce obligations owed to the Trust. While the law does not require defense or pursuit of all claims, a trustee should act reasonably and avoid losses.

Breach of Fiduciary Duty

When a trustee fails to act or poorly performs the trust document’s tasks, the beneficiary may have a right to demand actions. California trust law trustee duties include the trustee responsibilities and obligations required by the California Probate Code. Trustees’ fiduciary duties also include following the grantor’s instructions in the trust document.

Beneficiaries can act to enforce their rights under the Trust. The failure to perform duties and obligations can create a risk of personal liability for the Trustee. California trustees can retain legal counsel to assist and advise them in carrying out the trust terms. This advice can help remedy issues that develop and avoid problems in trust administration.

One Size Does Not Fit All

There is no simple formula for a successful trust administration. The legal responsibilities of trustees depend on the circumstances of the Trust. Interpreting the role of a California trustee can be complicated, technical, and challenging. Some trusts will offer unique challenges; for example, the assets include real property, sales of assets, and leases. Real property may be located both within and outside of the state of California, and other state rules may apply.

California trustees benefit from a seasoned trust attorney’s advice and assistance at every trust administration stage. Trustees benefit from an initial estate planning consultation to review the duties and obligations. An attorney’s ongoing relationship can help guide trust administration and keep it on a smooth administration course.

Responsibilities of a Trustee at physical incapacity

  1. Contact the attorney who prepared the revocable living trusts as the successor trustee. Get a copy of the trust document and review it for specific instructions. You will need to have the appropriate letter from a physician and maybe two or more specialists to document the person’s condition.
  2. Notify banks and other institutions that you are now the estate’s Trustee. Each institution may have different requirements but can count on showing them the following:

⇒ Copy of the doctor(s) letter.

⇒ Trust document

⇒ Personal identification

  • Take inventory of all property, including all real estate. If applicable, get all keys, maintenance crew’s phone numbers, maintain any utilities, etc.
  • Make a list of all current debts, and transact any business of the incapacitated person. Keep a ledger of all debts paid and any income received.
  • If there are backup trustees, keep them informed at all times.

Responsibilities of a Trustee at death

  1. Inform the family of your position as the Trustee and assist as needed with the funeral arrangements, flowers, cemetery marker, special wishes for service, etc., and update friends and family members.
  2. Give copies of the trust document to all beneficiaries described in the Trust.
  3. Order at least 12 certified death certificates, which the funeral home can assist. Essential for transferring titles, etc.
  4. Contact the estate planning attorney, ask for legal or tax advice, and update them if you have any questions or concerns.
  5. Notify the banks. Again you will need documents to gain access to the accounts like the following:
  1. Certified copy of death certificate
  2. Trust document
  3. Personal identification
  • Get ahold of all agencies like the following who provide a death benefit.
      • Social Security
        1. Life Insurance companies
        2. Retirement plans
        1. Take note: Put these into an interest-bearing account until distribution.
      1. Secure all real property, jewelry, collector items, cars, etc., and maintain keys. Take inventory.
          • Through bank records, determine all accounts payable and receivables and start a ledger. Pay all bills and taxes.
          • Income taxes: Contact an accountant to prepare the final income taxes and any other estate tax an inheritance tax returns.

           

          After paying debts and taxes, the successor trustee completes the final accounting record of all assets and bills paid. Send a copy to all future beneficiaries. Keeping transparent is critical for the successor trustees.

          Finally, make sure you get a signed receipt from all beneficiaries stating they received their property.

           

          As a Trustee or beneficiary, you have roles to keep. As a trustee, your fiduciary duty is to protect the Trust. As a beneficiary, you should stay reasonable in your requests. Our legal counsel is here to handle either party.

           

          With over thirty years of experience in successfully handling all types of trust and estate cases, we can rightfully say that we are one of the top California trust litigation attorneys.

           

          At Hess-Verdon & Associates, we are known for our aggressive legal representation, which has helped us obtain our clients’ best outcomes. Call us now, and receive expert counsel at 888-318-4430.

          What An Executor Of An Estate Can And Cannot Do

          What an Executor of an Estate Can and Cannot Do

          What an Executor Cannot Do An executor must adhere to the will's instructions and cannot alter asset distribution or modify beneficiaries. They are obligated to notify and communicate with all heirs and beneficiaries. Any deviation can lead to legal consequences....