Trusts for adult beneficiaries

Ontario lawyer Donna Neff has recently written a very good article that talks about why people sometimes choose to create trusts for adult beneficiaries. These trusts are not just for adults who are handicapped, but can work for people in many situations. Click here to read the article.

I often hear from adult beneficiaries for whom there is a trust in place who are upset about the fact that their inheritance is in trust. I believe their distress is solely the result of poor communication. They are in my office (or on my blog) wondering why they are being "punished" by not receiving an inheritance outright. They can\t understand what they might have done wrong. The testator who set up the trust believed that he or she was doing a positive thing for the beneficiary. All they had to do was mention it.