Recently, Michigan added a new section to the trust code, making it possible for trust settlors to create “quiet” or “silent” trusts in Michigan. As the name implies, in a silent trust arrangement, a trustee is not required...more
The September 2024 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 4.8%, a decrease from the August 2024 rate of 5.2%. The September applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use...more
Section 17.3, comment f, of the Restatement (Third) of Property (Wills and Other Donative Transfers) explains the difference between a collateral power of appointment and a power of appointment in gross: “In traditional...more
Section 415 of the Uniform Trust Code provides that even in the absence of ambiguity the court may reform the terms of a trust to conform the terms to the settlor’s intention if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence...more
The federal Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), effective January 1, 2024, whose constitutionality is currently being tested in the courts, follows in the footsteps of the IRC in that it creates a limited statutory exception...more
If the trustee in breach of trust conveys the trust property to a third party to the trust relationship, would the transferee be a necessary party to any action for breach of trust that the trust beneficiaries might bring?...more
Consider the following situation. Settlor owns a thousand acres of land in a domestic-asset- protection haven (DAPT state). While he is alive, he transfers in trust the land to a corporate trustee that does business...more
In a Sept. 11, 2023 JDSUPRA posting I questioned the doctrinal and practical utility of partial legislative codifications of equity’s principles-based jurisprudence, such as the UTC, the very institution of the trust being a...more
A longstanding and critical incident of a trustee’s fiduciary duty of loyalty is the duty to vigorously defend the trust’s very existence, as well as all its material provisions (hereinafter “existence defense”), unless it...more
The Tennessee legislature continues to take action to maintain Tennessee's status as one of the foremost states in which to situs trusts. The legislature's most recent enhancements to Tennessee's Uniform Trust Code (TN UTC)...more
David F. Johnson presented to the Tarrant County Probate Bar Association on May 4, 2023, on the topic of “Trust Issues in Divorce Proceedings.” This program discussed some of the many trust issues that arise in divorce...more
The Uniform Trust Code and the Restatement (Third) of Trusts both follow the presumption that trust beneficiaries should be generally kept aware of the existence of the trust, their status as beneficiaries, and their right to...more
The Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code (MUTC) is still new enough that any higher court decision interpreting it feels like a special day for fiduciary litigators. Well, ’tis the season!...more
Trust beneficiaries often request a corporate trustee to prepare a statutory accounting. The Texas Trust Code in Section 113.151 provides that a beneficiary may request a written statement of accounts....more
September Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intrafamily Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The September Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs,...more
Now more than ever, the situs and principal place of administration of a trust has become a fluid concept. Trustees change, move, or open and close offices. As situs changes, the question often becomes “what law governs the...more
Professional trustees and financial institutions acting as trustees often include a “termination fee” as part of their published fee schedules. Contrary to the name’s suggestion, a trustee might charge the fee not only at...more
Revocable trusts are a ubiquitous part of modern US estate planning because they avoid the delay, cost and publicity inherent in probate administration and, in the international context, because of the certainty they provide...more
Supreme Court Ruling in North Carolina Department of Revenue v. Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust, 588 U.S. [TBD] and its Relevance to Income Taxation of Accumulated Income in California Trusts - The Supreme Court...more
As we have just passed the one-year anniversary of the CUTC being signed into law, now seems like an appropriate time to go over a few reminders with regards to its mandatory provisions – in particular the Notice provisions. ...more
Effective Oct. 1, 2018, Maryland enacted a one-year statute of limitations for most breach-of-trust actions. To trigger the one-year limitations period, however, trustees must provide certain information to beneficiaries....more
As counsel to fiduciaries across our great Commonwealth, I was beginning to despair that changing one’s trustee was becoming as easy as changing the oil in one’s car. In the seminal case of Trust Under Agreement of Edward...more
Maryland previously enacted a version of the Uniform Trust Code (UTC), which contains various provisions focused on permitting more efficient administration of trusts. However, Maryland’s version of the UTC initially omitted...more
On July 17, 2016, New Jersey’s version of the Uniform Trust Code became effective. The objective of the Uniform Trust Code, which has now been enacted in approximately 30 states, is to provide more certainty for...more
As an estate planning attorney, it is hard to contain my excitement that a version of the Uniform Trust Code (“NJUTC”) was enacted in New Jersey on January 19, 2016 with an effective date of July 17, 2016. With its passage,...more