January 31, 2018

If you are using trusts as part of your estate planning strategy, you are engaging with one of the most powerful tools for enhancing your privacy and control now and well into the future. Dynasty trusts have become increasingly popular in recent years as a tool for people to incorporate into their overall process. A trust gives a client the flexibility to change the disposition after a transfer. 

Even for many different clients who may be in the process of considering a dynasty trust when there is no estate tax, trusts are very flexible estate planning tools that also provide privacy and peace of mind for the person creating it. Dynasty trusts should always be drafted directly for the purpose of flexibility.

Merger, decanting, amendment and non-judicial settlements are all different possibilities to consider in a dynasty trust. A trust that allows a trustee to make distributions for beneficiaries with the absolute discretion assigned to that trustee may provide more flexibility than a trust that requires distributions made to beneficiaries with an ascertainable standard. All of these terms can be explained to you when you schedule a consultation with a trust planning attorney.

Trusts offer numerous different benefits for people creating the trust, as well as for your beneficiaries down the line. But because there have become so many options in the area of trust planning, a consultation with a lawyer is important to identify the tool that is most appropriate for your individual needs.