Trusts
Setting up a Trust whether for the benefit of your family or wider charitable causes requires the assistance of experts. Our team have extensive experience setting up and running both family and charitable trusts and our expert knowledge can assist you through the complexities of this area.
A Trust is a legal arrangement whereby someone transfers assets to Trustees to look after and administer on behalf of a specific individual or group of persons (the beneficiaries). The Trustees have control of the assets but must act in the best interests of the beneficiaries and in accordance with the provisions of the Trust deed itself and legislation.
Trusts can be set up for a variety of reasons including:-
- to protect funds for the benefit of someone who is vulnerable due to mental incapacity and cannot manage their own money or who may be in a potentially difficult financial situation such as a difficult marriage or high risk business
- to help Inheritance Tax planning – a trust can hold assets such as investment portfolios, life insurance policies and pension benefits outside of your personal estate for the benefit of your family to help mitigate your tax liability
- to ring-fence personal injury compensation awards and protect them from being taken into account when assessing means tested benefits
- to support charitable purposes by allowing grants to be made to people or bodies with a particular need.
Once a Trust has been set up we can also take on the administrative burdens on behalf of the Trustees such as:-
- record keeping for the Trust
- secretarial support including arranging and documenting Trustees meetings
- financial reporting
- liaising with investment managers and stockbrokers
- liaising with HMRC to ensure all tax compliance
- reporting to OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator) for charitable trusts
Whether it's a Family Trust or a Charitable Trust,
you can trust Stevenson and Marshall
