IS THIS YOU?
Who Benefits from an Independent Trustee
When a Friend or Family Member Is Serving as Trustee - independent trustee protects everyone
Good intentions aren't enough. Non-professional trustees frequently lack the legal, fiduciary, and investment skills the role demands. Without proper oversight, they become unaccountable — and often overwhelmed and disengaged.
When the Trust Needs a Neutral Voice - independent trustee eliminates conflict
Impartiality is non-negotiable — and nearly impossible when the trustee is also a beneficiary. An independent trustee removes that conflict entirely, sparing family members from an unfair position. Objective decisions based on the trust's terms replace tension and second-guessing.
When the Ideal Answer Is Best of Both Worlds - Co-trustees — one individual, one independent
Family members bring irreplaceable insight into the grantor's values and intentions. An independent trustee brings professional distance and accountability. Co-trustees — one individual, one independent sharing fiduciary duties while honoring what matters most.
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE
Private Trustee vs Corporate
A strong individual trustee is what matters
Don't fall for the corporate-legacy argument — choose the fiduciary, not the logo. You want a competent, capable, and trusted fiduciary in the seat as long as possible.
We hold ourselves to the identical fiduciary obligations that govern your regional or national bank trust department — without the layers of institutional approval, competing internal priorities, or slow-moving bureaucracy. The result: faster decisions, better outcomes, and a trustee who genuinely knows your name.
Does your trustee have to be a corporate trustee to be independent? No. Every trustee — corporate or private — is governed by state laws and the body of case law that defines it.
The corporate trustee may seem to offer permanence - but change is the only constant. Banks fail unexpectedly, sometimes overnight (e.g., Silicon Valley Bank–Boston Private) or within months (e.g., First Republic). Smaller firms get absorbed by larger ones. Large banks merge with mega-banks. Trust officers turn over rapidly, and institutional memory walks out the door with them. In roughly a decade, the venerable State Street Bank trust business moved from a stable core of the bank, to Charles Schwab's U.S. Trust, to U.S. Trust under Bank of America.