Trusts and Estates/Future Interests Flashcards
A trust is…
… a fiduciary relationship between the trustee(s) and the trust beneficiaries.
When a trust is created, title to property is divided between legal and equitable title.
What is legal title?
Legal Title. The trustee holds legal title to the property and becomes the owner of record for the property.
What is equitable title?
Equitable Title. The beneficiary holds equitable title to the property and is entitled to the financial benefits of the property.
Who are the three main parties involved in the creation of a trust?
Settlor
Trustee
Beneficiary
Who is the settlor?
Settlor. The settlor is the person who creates the trust (usually the person who places the original assets into the trust).
Who is the trustee and what do they do?
Trustee. The trustee is the person who holds the assets of the trust for the benefit of the beneficiaries. The trustee manages the trust and its assets under the terms of the trust.
Who is the beneficiary?
Beneficiary. The beneficiary is the person who is entitled to the assets or profits of the trust.
Trusts are classified as either…
express or implied
An express trust is created when…
… a person has the intent to create a trust and complies with the requisite formalities to create that trust.
An implied trust is created by…
…CONDUCT, regardless of whether there was intent to create a trust (e.g., constructive trusts imposed by courts).
How does one create a valid express trust?
A valid express trust is created if the following five elements are met:
- The settlor has intent to create the trust;
- There is trust property (i.e., the res);
- An ascertainable beneficiary exists;
- The trust has a trustee; AND
- All parties comply with the requisite formalities.
The settlor’s intent may be determined by…
written and spoken WORDS or CONDUCT. There are NO specific words required to create a trust. The settlor need only intend to create the legal relationship and duties of a trust (i.e., the settlor need not know what a legal trust is to create one).
Does precatory language create a trust? (e.g., “I convey Greenacre to Tom with the hope that Tom uses it for the benefit of Ben.”).
Precatory language merely expresses the settlor’s wishes regarding his property, not his intent, and will NOT CREATE A TRUST.
Is capacity required to have the intent to create a trust?
Yes, the settlor must have capacity in order to create a trust (same analysis as capacity under will contests).
A trust requires res. What does res mean?
The res refers to the property that makes up the trust as a whole (e.g., money, land, stocks, bonds, jewelry, etc.). Just about anything that can be owned and transferred can make up the res.
The res must either be:
Specifically described with certainty; OR
Ascertainable with certainty from the description of it.
As to an ascertainable beneficiary, at the time of trust creation, the settlor must either:
At the time of trust creation, the settlor must either:
- Specifically identify the beneficiary by name; OR
Sufficiently describe how the beneficiary is to be identified (e.g., “my children” is sufficient –– “my friends” is not sufficient).
Must the beneficiary be able to possess the property?
Can an animal be a beneficiary?
Yes, the beneficiary must be able to possess title to property (e.g., an animal cannot be a trust beneficiary).
Must the beneficiary be able to manage the property?
No, needs to be able to possess title, but the beneficiary need not have capacity to manage the property.
Can settlors and trustees be beneficiaries?
Settlors and trustees can also be beneficiaries; however, a SOLE trustee cannot be the SOLE beneficiary of the trust.
Does a trust fail if lacking a trustee?
Although, a trust must have a named trustee, the trust will not fail solely for lack of one – a court may appoint a trustee if the settlor did not name a trustee or if the trustee dies, resigns, or is removed.
What if a trust involves real property v. physical property (as to the fifth element of a trust, all parties comply with the requisite formalities)?
The creation of a trust involving real property must comply with the Statute of Frauds, while the creation of a trust involving personal property (without real property) need not comply with the Statute of Frauds.
What is a testamentary trust?
A testamentary trust is a trust that enters into existence upon the death of a person and disposes of their property. Such trusts must be executed with the same formalities of a will.
Does the rule of convenience apply to trusts?
YES.
When a trust remainder is given to a class, the class closes (i.e., no new persons can join the
class) when there is no outstanding income interest, and at least one member of the class is then
entitled to demand possession of his or her share of the remainder
Under the common law (majority view), a trust is irrevocable UNLESS…
… the settlor expressly retains the right to revoke or amend the trust.
Under the Uniform Trust Code (minority view), a trust is revocable UNLESS…
… the trust expressly provides otherwise.
When settlor retains power to revoke, does this also include a power to amend/modify?
Yes, A retained power to revoke a trust includes the power to modify or amend the trust instrument.
the power to revoke includes the power to amend.
Note that under UTC, even if settlor didn’t express power to revoke, S would automatically have power to revoke and amend unless the trust terms expressed otherwise.
What is the illusory-transfer doctrine?
Under the illusory-transfer doctrine, a surviving spouse can reach assets transferred during the
marriage by the deceased spouse into a revocable trust on the theory that the transfer is
economically “illusory” because, by the simple expedient of exercising the power of
revocation—typically with nothing more than a signature on a piece of paper—the deceased
spouse could have recaptured the assets she had placed in the trust.
What is the fraudulent-transfer doctrine?
Under the fraudulent-transfer doctrine, a surviving spouse can reach assets transferred into a
revocable trust on the theory that, as to the surviving spouse, the transfer was “fraudulent.” The
assumption behind this doctrine is that a state statute providing surviving spouses with an
elective-share entitlement gives spouses a legitimate expectancy in assets that would have been
included in the decedent spouse’s probate estate but for their transfer into a revocable trust; such
a transfer is treated as defrauding the surviving spouse of his or her expectancy.
So if trust assets of $500,000 left to 2 children, and $50,000 of probate assets of $100,000 left to husband, how much can the husband claim?
if this jurisdiction recognizes the fraudulent-transfer or illusory-transfer doctrines or another similar doctrine, Settlor’s
husband will be entitled to receive one-third of the combined probate ($100,000) and trust estate ($500,000) or $200,000 (1/3 of $600,000). However, this $200,000 would be reduced to $150,000 to take account of the fact that he received $50,000 under the will.
Not all jurisdictions recognize such a doctrine, however. In those jurisdictions that do not, the husband would receive nothing beyond the $50,000 he would receive under the will because that amount exceeds the elective share (1/3 of $100,000).
What is an elective share?
The elective share is also known as a spousal share, statutory share, election against the will, or forced share. In the United States, statutory elective share law exists to prevent the disinheritance of a spouse. Elective share statutes give to a surviving spouse a fixed fraction, typically out of a probate estate of the deceased spouse. Traditionally that fraction is one-third of the estate regardless of the length of the marriage. The Uniform Probate Code provides a more complicated scheme for determining the elective share. Elective share statutes are enacted in “separate property states.” These are often contrasted with “community property states.”
Is a trust provision that an interest in the trust is invalid if a beneficiary gets marriage legit?
No. Provisions of trusts that violate public policy are void. RESTATEMENT (THIRD) OF TRUSTS § 29.
Trust provisions that restrain a first marriage have generally been held to violate public policy.
What is a pourover provision?
A pourover provision in a will devises property to a previously existing trust under the terms of that trust. A pourover provision is distinguishable from a testamentary trust, as a pourover provision does NOT create a trust; it transfers property to a trust already in existence. Therefore, a pourover provision CANNOT devise property to a testamentary trust (because a testamentary trust does not come into existence until the settlor dies).
What is a charitable trust?
A charitable trust is a trust that has the purpose of accomplishing a substantial amount of social benefit to the public at large or to a reasonably large class.
Does the rule against perpetuities apply to charitable trusts?
No, the beneficiary of a charitable trust may be indefinite, named, or contain a class of persons described by the trust. The rule against perpetuities does NOT apply to charitable trusts.
Is a charitable trust invalidated for failing to name a beneficiary or purpose?
NO. A charitable trust will NOT be invalidated for failure to state a specific charitable purpose or beneficiary. Generally, courts will select a purpose or beneficiary that is consistent with the settlor’s intent if the settlor had a general charitable intent. The Cy Pres doctrine may be applied to continue the charitable trust in a manner consistent with the settlor’s general charitable intent.
If a trust names a specific charity, what if that charity terminates?
Then the trust terminates. If the settlor names a specific charitable beneficiary, the trust will terminate upon that charity’s termination.