A trustee can be one person, multiple people, or what is called a “corporate trustee,” such as a bank or trust company staffed by people who manage and grow trust assets. It is essential to choose the right trustee because this person or institution is responsible for carrying out your wishes and protecting trust assets. Many grantors name a spouse, an adult child, a relative, or a close personal friend as trustee. The person you choose must have the ability to serve in this capacity and the willingness to devote all of the time and energy necessary to carry out the mandates of the trust. It is important to note that the trustee must administer the trust faithfully and accurately. He or she can be held legally and financially responsible for any mistakes, even those that are unintentional. This is why you should think long and hard about your choice
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For most people, choosing an executor or trustee means choosing someone close to them – a family member or a friend. However, this often means their executor or trustee is also a beneficiary. But, will choosing a beneficiary create a conflict of interest? The short answer is, the best way to avoid a conflict is to be as specific as possible in your instructions to your executor and beneficiaries. An executor or trustee has a legal duty to manage the property and assets in the decedent’s estate for the benefit of the trust or estate beneficiaries. This means that while the executor/trustee should be compassionate, they must also act in an equal and unemotional manner toward every beneficiary. A beneficiary, on the other hand, is often emotionally involved. Even those beneficiaries who are not concerned with the monetary aspect of their inheritance will likely be emotionally invested in the heirlooms
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