Author: Kevin Von Tungeln
Title: California Estate Planning Attorney Offers Tips On Being A Successful Successor Trustee

Article: If you have been named as a successor trustee of a relative's trust, you have several obligations and job duties to ensure that the estate plan of the trust grantor remains intact. This is something that most individuals are not prepared to handle themselves, and will need expert advice to properly manage this vital part of their relative's estate plan. At a minimum, you should have an estate planning attorney and an accountant familiar with estate planning as part of your team. The estate planning attorney can be your attorney, or the attorney who prepared the estate plan in which the trust is included. He or she can prepare all of the documents that allow you to assume the duties of trustee and review the estate plan and all of the duties you will be responsible to perform. The estate planning attorney can also review the goals of the trust, and explain how it fits into the overall estate plan of the trust creator. If you are taking over after the death of the trust grantor, you will need to secure a new tax identification number for the trust. Most trusts are established with the social security numbers of the trust grantors and those numbers expire upon the death of the individual. If you are taking over in the event of the disability of the previous trustee, your estate planning attorney will need to prepare certificates for family members or a disability panel to certify that the previous trustee(s) are no longer able to function in that capacity. The accountant is another key member of your team. Seek out one with significant experience with estate plans and trusts. Everyone has specialties and areas of experience, and estate plans are not something that every accountant deals with on a regular basis. If the accountant in place does not have trust and estate planning expertise, ask your estate planning attorney to recommend several and interview them. Financial advisors are another member to consider. If the existing financial advisor is performing well, stick with him or her. But if you suspect that the financial advisor may not have the trust's best interests at heart, ask your accountant and estate planning attorney to recommend several and interview them. Pay particular attention to their knowledge of estate planning and trust operations. If you would like more information and tips on being a successful successor trustee, check online for comprehensive resources for personal wealth management solutions for personal wealth management solutions through estate planning, wills, and revocable trusts. Whether your estate planning goals are immediate or long-term, a qualified California estate planning attorney will be able to counsel you on the best options available to you to meet your individual needs. Kevin Von Tungeln is the Managing Partner of EstatePlanningSpecialists.com and Thompson Von Tungeln, P.C. Kevin practices exclusively in the areas of estate planning, probate, wills, conservatorships and trust administration.Visit www.EstatePlanningSpecialists.com or www.linkedin.com/in/kevinvontungeln to learn more.

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