Stepping in as trustee,
without stepping into a maze.

What trust administration is

A funded revocable living trust avoids probate — that's most of why people set them up. But avoiding probate doesn't mean avoiding work. When the trust's creator dies (or becomes incapacitated), the successor trustee steps in and is legally responsible for carrying out the trust's instructions: notifying beneficiaries, gathering and protecting assets, paying final bills and taxes, and distributing what's left.

Most successor trustees are family members — adult children, siblings, or close friends — who've never done this before. Trust administration is supposed to be simpler than probate, and it is. But it's not simple, and the trustee has real legal duties to the beneficiaries. We help trustees do it right.

What the trustee actually has to do

• Notify beneficiaries within the timeline Minnesota law requires — and provide them a copy of the trust.
• Inventory trust assets — what the trust owns, where it's held, and what it's worth as of the date of death.
• Obtain a tax ID for the trust once it becomes irrevocable (the grantor's SSN no longer works).
• Manage the assets prudently during administration — investments, real estate, business interests.
• Pay final expenses and debts — last bills, funeral, taxes.
• File the decedent's final 1040 and any estate-tax returns (federal or Minnesota) that apply.
• File a fiduciary income tax return (Form 1041) for the trust each year it has income.
• Account to beneficiaries — typically in writing, showing income, expenses, and distributions.
• Make distributions per the trust terms — outright, in stages, or held in continuing sub-trusts for younger or disabled beneficiaries.

How we help

• Walk you through the timeline — what has to happen first, what waits, and what's optional.
• Prepare the legally-required notices to beneficiaries and creditors.
• Coordinate with the CPA on tax filings, both for the decedent and the trust.
• Handle the real-estate transfers — deeds, recording, title coordination.
• Draft the beneficiary distribution documents — receipts, releases, and (when appropriate) consents.
• Resolve disputes — between beneficiaries, between beneficiaries and trustees, or about ambiguous trust terms.
• Close out the administration properly so the trustee is discharged and the trust is done.

For beneficiaries, too

Trust administration doesn't just affect trustees. If you're a beneficiary of a trust and you're not sure what you're entitled to, when, or whether the trustee is doing things right — we represent beneficiaries as well. Common situations:

• You've been told you're a beneficiary but haven't received the required notices or a copy of the trust
• You're not being kept informed about administration progress
• You suspect the trustee is making decisions in their own interest
• You've been offered a distribution and aren't sure whether to sign the release the trustee is asking for
• You've inherited a continuing trust (e.g., for your benefit during life) and need to understand what the trustee can and can't do

How we charge

Most trust administration work is hourly, billed against regular statements so trustees can see exactly what's been done. Some discrete pieces (a deed transfer, a beneficiary notice package) can be fixed-fee. We discuss the structure at the first meeting.