Frequently Asked Questions

At Adelphi Trust, we combine deep technical expertise with something far more rare: a personalized approach to fiduciary service. Many of our clients come to us with hopes that stretch beyond documents and distributions; they want to know that someone will understand their family, uphold their values, and walk with their loved ones through the transitions ahead. We have seen families struggle to find a trust company that can provide the personalized solutions they are looking for. Our team brings decades of combined experience, but it’s our mindset that sets us apart. From the start, Adelphi Trust was built by professionals who believe in long-term relationships over short-term transactions.

We work hand-in-hand with estate attorneys and your advisors to create trust structures tailored to your goals, values, and family dynamics. We’re not just advisors and fiduciaries, we’re committed partners. We steward your plan with objectivity, accountability, and a deep respect for the values and legacy it represents.

The word fiduciary is thrown around a lot in the financial industry, but what does it really mean? Simply put, a fiduciary always puts clients first above their own interests.

Click here for a full explanation of what a fiduciary is.

At Adelphi Trust, we have deep experience and expertise in working with families. We understand you have wishes beyond your own future, for your loved ones and future generations of beneficiaries. We look beyond a single individual or generation and work to ensure your family goals are met, to help younger family members accrue and protect wealth and understand the significance of their generational wealth.

At Adelphi Trust, we’re able to work with estate attorneys to craft the best plan to meet a client’s goals, ensuring their unique family circumstances and  objectives for the future are reflected in their estate plans.

A trust may reduce the time it takes for beneficiaries to receive distributions or minimize taxes, ensures more privacy upon death, and improves the process of transferring assets. It also allows a grantor to provide specific instructions on when and how money should be distributed over a beneficiary’s lifetime. With a properly drafted trust, your assets are protected from your beneficiaries’ creditors.

The term “corporate trustee” can sound a bit clinical, and it’s understandable why many clients’ first instinct is to name someone they know personally. But acting as a trustee is a complex and demanding position, and not every individual has the experience or time to successfully fulfill the role. A corporate trustee also provides continuity when an individual may not always be able to serve. 

Click here for a full explanation of why a corporate trustee makes sense.

After spending decades of your life working and accumulating assets, an estate plan can ensure that wealth is preserved for your enjoyment and future generations as it passes on to your beneficiaries. 

Probate is the legal analysis and process of settling an estate that occurs after someone passes away with assets in their individual name. It may include paying off debts before distributing assets among beneficiaries and giving notice to potential creditors. Talk with your attorney about your specific estate plan and the benefits and disadvantages of a probate process.  

You should review your estate planning documents (will, trust, health care surrogate, durable power of attorney and living will) every three to five years. Even if nothing significant has changed in your life, the laws around estate planning, taxes, and trusts can change and it’s wise to make sure your documents are still aligned with current best practices. In just a few short years, major milestones can occur in life that can require you to make important decisions regarding your health care, enjoying your retirement years, and providing for those you care about.

Below are some life events that may trigger a review and possible update to your estate planning documents:

Death or Incapacity: If a key person in your trust dies, an amendment may be necessary. Review your trust to determine whether an alternate is identified or if you need to appoint someone capable of accomplishing those responsibilities.

Marriage or Divorce: If you or one of your beneficiaries divorces or gets married, you may need to change some of your estate planning documents.

Birth or Adoption of Child or Grandchild: Addition of children or grandchildren to the family may also inspire you to change how you intend to distribute your assets at death.

Child becomes an Adult: When your child or grandchild hits the age of majority or maturity level, it may require a change in your documents.

Financial Change: If your financial situation changes for any reason, you may need to conduct additional planning. For example, if you sell a business, buy a business, or inherit funds.

Wealth management is an umbrella term that includes financial planning services such as investment management, financial advice, tax minimization, retirement planning, and risk management. Investment management refers to the allocation and handling of financial assets to maximize benefit while mitigating risk and often includes both short-term and long-term plans to meet investing goals.

For anyone who falls into a higher-net-worth category, with liquid assets over $250,000, a wealth manager may be able to help make the most of your wealth. Alternatively, anyone with an active investment portfolio or anyone interested in creating one may benefit from an investment manager to increase ROI while minimizing risk.

The primary difference between a financial advisor and a wealth manager is the clients they serve and the level of wealth they manage. In this sense, wealth managers are a sub-category of financial advisors that focus on clients with a higher net worth and, often, more complex or uncommon assets.

It’s completely natural to want someone you know and trust to carry out your wishes. But serving as a trustee is more than a gesture of goodwille—it’s a complex legal and fiduciary role with serious responsibilities and personal liability. In fact, most trust disputes arise when individual trustees are overwhelmed by the demands of the role or unintentionally make mistakes. As trustee, the individual is assuming personal liability, which is a significant burden to place on someone who may not have the necessary experience. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the negative consequences resulting in litigation against individual trustees. Individuals may be unaware of the personal liability they assume as trustee.

A corporate trustee brings professional experience, objectivity, and continuity along with the infrastructure to handle the administrative, legal, reporting, and investment-related duties with accuracy and transparency.

At Adelphi Trust, we are devoted experts with over 100 years of combined experience. We are deeply familiar with the statutory requirements and legal and fiduciary responsibilities, as well as the best practices for complex types of trustee roles, such as a trust for a child with special needs. 

As your trustee, we will serve as an objective, conflict free advisor, ensuring your plan is secure yet agile enough to meet your changing needs, or those of your beneficiaries, throughout your lives and beyond.

The responsibilities of a Trustee include:

-Duty to administer the trust according to the terms

-Duty of loyalty

-Duty to act impartially with all beneficiaries

-Duty to preserve trust properly

-Duty to make trust property productive

-Duty to provide information & principal/income accounting

-Duty to follow the prudent investor rule

-Duty to enforce and defend claims

-Duty to maintain proper records

Many clients aren’t sure who is named in their documents or haven’t revisited those decisions in years. The first step is to review your trust and confirm who would step in if you could no longer serve. 

If you’ve named an individual, consider:

-Do they have the time to manage the trust?

-Do they have the financial acumen and judgment to administer the trust?

-Can they navigate family dynamics while honoring your wishes?

-Are they healthy, available, and truly willing to take on the responsibility?

Serving as trustee is a demanding role with legal obligations, reporting requirements, and real consequences. If you’re unsure whether your successor is qualified for the job and you want to ensure continuity, consider naming Adelphi Trust as your successor trustee or co-trustee. We bring the experience, structure, and accountability needed to protect what matters.