Investment Advice for Trusts
Posted in Briefings, Enterprise, Finance Programs on August 12th, 2010Since the introduction of The trustee Act 2000, trustees now have unique responsibilities relating to the service and administration of trust funds. The duty of care is applicable to professional and lay trustees. However higher standards are expected from professional trustees.
A legal duty of care applies to the trustee investments that are contained within the trust. For existing and new trusts, the trustees must take into consideration the trusts aims and the suitableness of the investment funds to be held.
Trustees have a duty to protect the value of the trust fund, whilst offering income for the beneficiaries. It is important for trustees to take into account the suitability of the investment funds in the trust, funding, the type of arrangement and the requirements of the beneficiaries.
A wide-ranging portfolio of assets should be used to meet the trusts particular targets.
This approach can help to reduce the risks within the trust investment funds by investing across varied asset classes. It is critical to take into account risk any particular prerequisites of the trustees. This could also include investing in an ethical or sociably responsible manner.
Trustees have an administrative duty to review the assets held within the trust on a regular basis. This can be a prolonged and lengthy process, especially if the trust decision makers are not practiced investors.
Trusts and Financial Advice
It is important to seek unbiased and impartial advice on the assets held within any form of trust agreement. We continually advise new and existing trustees on suitable asset allocation investment strategies.
Trustees frequently engage the investor services of a bank or stockbroker. Sometimes the service is not unique to the demands of the individual trust. A 1 size fits all approach may not take into account the specific needs of the trust. For example, the prerequisites of a large educational trust could be totally different to a small family trust.
The costs to administer the investment funds are an all-important factor. The admin costs charged by stockbrokers and banks for trust investment management can be expensive. This might have an effect on the investment returns the trust can attain.
Our investing process takes into account the costs, as this is a known factor when we advocate unique investments.
If as trustees you are thinking about investing it is essential to remember that the value of the trust investment and the income generated could possibly rise as well as fall. There is no guarantee you will get back more than you vested.
Consilium Asset Management are based in Chipping Sodburychipping Sodbury and offer a unique Trustee investment management service for individual and corporate trusts.