Families have been using trusts to preserve and manage their wealth for the benefit of their heirs for centuries. Trusts provide people with a means of protecting their assets and controlling how they are used after they have been given away. Unlike corporate vehicles, the lack of rigid formal requirements for the creation and operation of trusts, and the tremendous flexibility of trust instruments, make them uniquely useful for estate and succession planning.

At its simplest, a trust is an arrangement whereby property or assets are transferred from one person (the ‘settlor’) to another person (the ‘trustee’) to hold the property for the benefit of a specified list or class of persons (the ‘beneficiaries’). A trust can be created solely by verbal agreement, but it is usual for a written document (the ‘trust deed’) to be prepared. This evidence the creation of the trust, sets out the terms and conditions upon which the trustees hold the trust assets and outlines the rights of the beneficiaries. The practical advantages of a trust are gained from the distinction that is drawn between the formal or legal owner of property, the trustee, and those people that have the use or benefit of the property, the beneficiaries.