| Duties and Powers of a Trustee |
| A trustee has the duty to take possession of and preserve the trust property, and he must exercise reasonable care and skill in dealing with it.More... |
| Basic Trust Types and Formation |
| An express trust can be either private or charitable. The main difference is that the beneficiaries in a private trust are identifiable persons while a charitable trust cannot be for the benefit of identifiable persons. A charitable trust must be for religious, charitable, educational, or benevolent purposes, and cannot name only a few individuals to receive the benefit. If a charitable trust fails to name a specific charity, a court will redirect the trust property to a recipient that most closely appears capable of carrying out the charitable purpose. More... |
| Inheritance Without Planning Means No Person Is In Control |
| When a person dies intestate (without making and leaving a will), each state provides a default plan (usually known as the statute of descent and distribution) under with his or her net estate is disposed. Under the default plan, no person is put in control of the disposition. The disposition must go according to the defaul plan. This article discusses the disadvantages of descent and distribution related to that inability to have a person put in control of the disposition.More... |
| Trusts, Public and Private - I |
| An express trust is either public or private. A public trust, also known as a charitable trust, is an express trust created for a charitable purpose. If an express trust is not a charitable trust, it is deemed to be a private trust. A private trust is an express trust created to benefit a few persons. This article discusses some aspects of public and private trusts.More... |
| Gift Requirements |
| This article discusses the legal requirements for an ordinary gift: donor competence, donor intent, donor delivery, donee acceptance, and appropriate documentation, if necessary.More... |

