In Eldridge, Iowa, a trust is an arrangement in which property is held by one person (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary).

You might want to set up a trust for a wide variety of reasons. It can be set up to ensure that a child will have money for college, for example, and that the child will only be able to use the money for that purpose.

If you want to set up a trust, you can make the beneficiary's use of the property as restricted or as permissive as you like. As a simple example, you might want to dictate that the beneficiary can only use the money for emergencies, or for basic living expenses. If the trust is carefully drafted, this is entirely feasible.

The trust can also be set up to permit the beneficiary to spend as much of the money in it on anything they like. Of course, few people do this, because the trust isn't likely to last very long under such an arrangement, especially if the beneficiary is a teenager or young adult.

What to Include in Any Eldridge, IA Trust

There are 4 distinct elements that must be present for any trust to be valid in Eldridge, Iowa. The first element is the purpose - in drafting a trust document, the purpose that the trust is serving must be expressed.

The second required element is a trustee. The trustee's job is to supervise and manage the money that makes up the trust. They are also required to take reasonable efforts to ensure that the money is only used for the purpose of the original trust agreement.

Third, the trust needs to have a named beneficiary. The beneficiary is the person who benefits from the trust.

Finally, and perhaps most vitally, the trust requires a "body." The body of a trust is the thing (typically, but not always, money) that is directly being held in trust, and therefore overseen by the trustee, and used to help the beneficiary.

Can A Eldridge, Iowa Trust Drafting Attorney Help?

While the elements of a valid trust are relatively simple and easy to remember, drafting a trust that is sure to be carried out according to the wishes of the person making it can still be intricate. For that reason, a good Eldridge, Iowa attorney specializing in estate planning and the drafting trusts may prove invaluable.