More and more, I’m encountering clients who are the beneficiaries of trust funds, who are looking for guidance about how to incorporate this into their personal financial habits and plans.
A lot of trust fund beneficiaries feel reluctant about telling anyone outside their family that these trusts exist. American culture tends to stigmatize people having money that they didn’t “earn themselves” even if it isn’t a large fortune. Beneficiaries also often fear people will take advantage of them if they know about the trust, especially financial advisors who see big pots of money to manage.
Meanwhile, professional trustees have a vested interest in keeping money in the trust. They tend to not be forthcoming with beneficiaries about their options for actually using the money in trust.
Beneficiaries are looking for advice from someone who understands trusts but doesn’t have an interest in keeping these funds under lock and key. Being an attorney who drafts trusts and modifications to them on a daily basis, while also providing financial planning services unrelated to “assets under management” for different clients, puts me in a unique position to help trust beneficiaries understand their opportunities and options.
That’s why I decided to launch a new Substack blog called The Trust Fund Whisperer. Whether or not you are a trust fund beneficiary (or ever expect to be one someday), I invite you to read and subscribe to join me on a journey of demystifying these legal-financial instruments that hold an ever-increasing portion of wealth in the United States.
Curious Financial Counsel 
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