Corporate trustee
Revocable and irrevocable trusts administered with continuity, segregated custody and documented discretion no individual trustee can match.
Trust & Estates
An impartial trustee that outlives the plan
Fiduciary administration held to written standards, with annual accountings, documented discretionary decisions and beneficiaries treated even-handedly.
Trust minimum
$1,000,000
Smaller trusts accepted within a family relationship
Accountings
Annual
Plus quarterly statements to entitled beneficiaries
Discretionary review
Committee
Every distribution recorded with its reasoning
Estate settlement
9 – 18 months
Typical, absent litigation or a taxable estate
Services
Fiduciary services we provide
We act as trustee, co-trustee, directed trustee, executor or agent — whichever role the instrument and the family situation call for.
Estate settlement
Executor and administrator services: inventory, valuation, creditor claims, tax filings, funding of sub-trusts and final distribution.
Charitable trusts
Charitable remainder and lead trusts, private foundations and endowments administered to a documented spending policy with annual filings.
Special needs and guardianship
Trusts drafted to preserve public benefit eligibility, with disbursement practices and record-keeping to match.
Agent for trustee
Custody, accounting, tax and investment support for an individual who wishes to remain trustee but not carry the administration.
Succession planning
Coordination with your attorney and accountant on transfer strategies, generation-skipping planning and business succession across generations.
Structures
Trusts we commonly administer
| Structure | Typical beneficiaries | Purpose | Our role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revocable living trust | Grantor, then named beneficiaries | Avoids probate; grantor may amend or revoke | Full trustee or successor trustee |
| Irrevocable life insurance trust | Spouse and descendants | Keeps policy proceeds outside the taxable estate | Premium administration and Crummey notices |
| Dynasty / generation-skipping trust | Multiple generations | Long-term transfer tax efficiency | Perpetual corporate trustee |
| Charitable remainder trust | Income beneficiary, then charity | Income stream with a charitable remainder | Payout calculation and annual filings |
| Special needs trust | Beneficiary with a disability | Supplements without displacing benefits | Disbursement review and benefit-aware records |
| Testamentary trust | Created under a will | Provides for minors or staged distributions | Funded at estate settlement |
General information only. The terms of your instrument and applicable state law govern in every case.
Fiduciary standards we follow
- Loyalty — every decision is made in the interest of beneficiaries, not the bank
- Prudence — investments and distributions follow the trust instrument and a documented process
- Impartiality — current income and remainder beneficiaries are considered in every decision
- Segregation — trust assets are held separately from bank assets and clearly identified
- Transparency — annual accountings and distribution rationale are available to entitled beneficiaries
- Continuity — a trust committee, not one person, oversees discretionary decisions
Directed vs. full trustee
A directed trustee holds legal title to trust assets but follows the written investment direction of an outside adviser. The trustee handles custody, accounting, tax, reporting and distributions, while the adviser manages portfolio strategy. This arrangement is common when a family has a long-standing investment manager.
A full corporate trustee assumes both fiduciary administration and investment discretion under the trust instrument, governed by the investment policy statement. Both arrangements carry a documented duty of care and annual reporting.
Lifecycle
Trust administration lifecycle
A recurring cycle of custody, administration, distribution and reporting keeps the trust compliant and beneficiaries informed.
01
Onboarding
Review the instrument, identify assets and beneficiaries, and establish custody, tax and reporting procedures.
02
Administration
Collect income, pay expenses, manage investments to the IPS, and prepare required tax filings.
03
Distributions
Evaluate requests against the deed, document the recommendation, and obtain committee approval where required.
04
Reporting
Quarterly statements, annual accountings, beneficiary tax information and a formal review of fees and strategy.
Fees
Indicative trustee fee schedule
Fees are charged on market value, billed quarterly, and cover administration, custody, accounting and tax coordination. Investment management, where we provide it, is billed separately at the schedule shown on the investments page.
| Assets under administration | Annual rate | Annual minimum |
|---|---|---|
| First $2,000,000 | 0.90% | $20,000 |
| Next $3,000,000 | 0.65% | $20,000 |
| Next $5,000,000 | 0.45% | $20,000 |
| Above $10,000,000 | 0.30% | $20,000 |
| Directed / administrative trustee | 0.25% | $12,500 |
| Estate settlement | 1.50% of probate assets | $15,000 |
Indicative schedule. Extraordinary services — litigation, closely held business oversight, real property management — are billed separately and agreed in advance.
How we administer
- —Every discretionary distribution is reviewed by a trust committee and recorded with its reasoning.
- —Investments are managed to the trust's purpose and balanced between income and remainder interests.
- —Accountings are prepared annually and made available to beneficiaries entitled to receive them.
- —Fiduciary income tax returns are prepared and coordinated with your advisers before each deadline.
- —Trust assets are held in segregated custody, never commingled with bank assets.
- —Every document, instruction and decision is retained in the fiduciary vault with full access history.
The annual administration cycle
- Q1 — fiduciary tax returns prepared and beneficiary tax reporting issued
- Q2 — investment policy and allocation reviewed against the trust's purpose
- Q3 — beneficiary review meetings and distribution planning
- Q4 — annual accounting drafted, fees reviewed, next-year distributions scheduled
What to send when appointing us
- Executed trust instrument and every amendment
- Schedule of assets with cost basis and current valuations
- Prior trustee accountings and the most recent tax returns
- Beneficiary contact details and any standing distribution instructions
Questions
Common questions
+Why appoint a corporate trustee rather than a family member?
A corporate trustee does not die, move away, fall ill or take sides. It brings continuity, documented decision-making, segregated custody, annual accountings and professional liability cover — and it relieves a family member of decisions that can strain relationships.
+How are discretionary distributions decided?
The trust officer prepares a written recommendation setting out the beneficiary's request, the governing standard in the deed, the beneficiary's other resources and the effect on remainder interests. A trust committee reviews it, and the decision and reasoning are recorded in the file.
+Can we keep our existing investment adviser?
Often yes. Where the trust instrument permits a directed or bifurcated structure, we serve as administrative trustee and your adviser retains investment responsibility, with duties allocated in writing.
+How long does estate settlement take?
A straightforward estate is generally settled in nine to eighteen months. Estates with closely held business interests, real property in several jurisdictions, or a federal estate tax return usually take longer, and we provide a written timetable at the outset.
+What is the difference between a directed and an administrative trustee?
A directed trustee holds legal title but follows the investment direction of an outside adviser. An administrative trustee handles custody, accounting, tax and distributions but delegates investment discretion. Fees are lower because the trustee is not making investment decisions.
+Do you act as executor outside Florida?
We can serve as personal representative or co-executor where permitted by the will and local law, and we coordinate with local counsel. In multi-jurisdictional estates we provide a single point of contact and consolidated reporting.
Fees, minimums and timelines shown are indicative, may change without notice. We do not provide legal or tax advice; please consult your attorney and accountant. Trust and fiduciary assets are not deposits, are not federally insured, and may lose value.