Some trusts call for distributions to be made at the trustee’s discretion rather than a certain amount or percentage at specific times. For those trusts, it may be helpful for another trusted person capable of making impartial decisions and familiar with the beneficiaries of the trust and their needs to be named the distribution trustee, which is a trustee responsible for making decisions about trust distributions.

This is helpful if there are difficult relationships or conflicts between beneficiaries or between the trustee and a beneficiary. For example, if your second spouse is the trustee but the beneficiaries are children from your first marriage, naming an unrelated third party as the distribution trustee may avoid hard feelings or the perception of unfairness related to distributions.

Call to schedule an appointment if you would like to find out more about a distribution trustee.