Professional Trustees in Orange County
The Trustees Group: Professional Trustees with offices in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Ventura
“A professional trustee can safeguard your legacy. If your estate involves an California-based trust, real estate, significant liquid assets, or a family that doesn’t always see eye-to-eye, you need a professional trustee. ”
~ Kevin Singer, Professional Trustee Orange County & Founder of The Trustees Group
- What is an Orange County-Based Professional Trustee
- Why Do You Need an Orange County-Based Professional Trustee
- Contact The Trustees Group
In the complex world of estate planning, who you trust to manage your legacy assets is just as important as attaining the legacy assets themselves. If you live in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, or Ventura where real estate values are often high relative to the rest of California, it often comes down to a choice between a well-meaning family member or a professional trustee. Choosing the right professional trustee is an important decision that will give you and your descendants peace of mind.
What is an Orange County-Based Professional Trustee?
A Professional Trustee (also known as a Private Professional Fiduciary or an Administrative Trustee in California) is a neutral third party licensed and hired to manage the assets of a trust. A professional trustee is a specialized professional who is dedicated to the meticulous administration of trusts, the protection of assets in the trusts, and the fulfillment of a grantor’s wishes as they pertain to the trusts. Unlike a family member who might serve out of love or obligation, a professional trustee does so out of a sense of duty to his clients.
In California, professional trustees are held to the highest legal standard known as a fiduciary duty. This duty means they are legally bound to act solely in the best interests of the beneficiaries, setting aside any personal gain or bias.
Types of Professional Trustees
There are essentially two types of professional trustees, depending on their primary clientele. In both cases, professional trustees are licensed by the California Department of Consumer Affairs. the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau (PFB) in California, part of the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), requiring specific education, exams, background checks, and adherence to a strict code of ethics.
- Private Professional Trustees – Private Professional Fiduciaries are individuals licensed by the California Department of Consumer Affairs who offer personalized management for trusts.
- Corporate Trustees: Corporate Trustees work with banks or dedicated trust companies with deep institutional resources and internal checks and balances.
Attorneys or CPAs do not need to be licenses separately by the PFB as they are already licensed by their repsective boards and are legally able to provide trustee services alongside their legal or financial expertise.
Why Do You Need a Professional Trustee?
Choosing a Professional Trustee is a strategic decision to prioritize the longevity and integrity of your estate over the initial convenience of naming a family member. While a relative may offer personal warmth, they often lack the technical infrastructure and emotional distance required for complex fiduciary management.
Impartiality and Conflict Mitigation
Estate distributions often result in family tensions. A professional trustee serves as a neutral third party, capable of saying “no” to unreasonable requests without destroying family relationships. By following the trust’s instructions strictly and objectively, they prevent familial litigation that often drains high-value estates.
Specialized Technical Expertise
Trust administration involves a minefield of legal, tax, and financial requirements. Professionals bring:
- Compliance: Managing rigorous accounting and reporting standards required by law.
- Tax Optimization: Understanding complex state and federal tax codes to minimize liabilities.
- Asset Management: Experience handling diverse holdings, from real estate to intellectual property.
Continuity and Reliability
A professional trustee firm, like The Trustees Group, provides institutional continuity, ensuring your trust is managed seamlessly for decades or even generations. These companies are held to a higher fiduciary standard: they are legally and ethically bound to prioritize the beneficiaries’ interests above all else.
Contact The Trustees Group
Engaging a professional trustee to manage your family trust helps to ensure that your life’s work is not only preserved but handled with the professional dignity it deserves.
For more information about the professional trustees at The Trustees Group or to engage The Trustees Group, use our Trustee Contact Form or call Mr. Singer directly at: 310.552.5315.
Our Mission: Planning for Your Family’s Financial Future
If you created a trust in order to benefit your heirs or if you are thinking about creating a trust before you pass, remember that the trust is only one part of the plan. It’s a prudent and wise idea to select and retain a qualified administrative trustee to ensure your directives are executed in the manner you designate in the trust documents.
“We work with private families, banks, private lenders, private investors, and municipalities. We’ve administered and transitioned over two billion dollars in assets.”
Kevin Singer
Licensed Private Professional Fiduciary and a National Certified Guardian.