Services
Choosing an Independent Trustee
There are many compelling reasons to engage an independent corporate trustee. We are always available to discuss these with you without obligation or pressure.
Trustee selection can be difficult to think about for personal, emotional, family, or detachment reasons. We estimate that you have already thought about this issue quite a bit; maybe lost sleep over it; maybe had one or more heated debates with family members or advisors. One natural first instinct is to choose a family member, friend, or a long time professional advisor. But because you want things done your way and you need professional accountability, trust, loyalty, objectivity, and institutional longevity, you
may instead want to settle on an independent. This may solve the situation of “family trustees” that may die, become distracted or conflicted, or simply not have the experience, time, operational or investment background to manage the increasingly complex tax and administrative duties associated with modern trusts.
At Sentry Trustees we take our fiduciary role seriously and our emphasis is on preservation. We have the experience, intellectual fire power, and professional courage to only take actions consistent with the
best interests of your family and your current and future beneficiaries. We are not going to sell a family business, liquidate specialized assets, compromise our investment oversight, or otherwise convert the
character of trust assets simply because it’s convenient, expedient, or conforms to bureaucratic portfolio protection theory.
It may also be important for you to consider that a corporate trustee such as Sentry Trustees operates with checks and balances such as internal audits and government oversight that can avoid the
occasional mischief, temptation, and pitfalls associated with individual trustees.
We also believe every client deserves individual assessment and the benefit of sincere relationships. Therefore, we acknowledge there are circumstances where combining an independent corporate trustee with an individual trustee or trust protector may be the best solution for your family. Likewise,
to maximize comfort and flexibility for you and your beneficiaries we always recommend using your trust instruments to provide future authority to terminate and change corporate trustees when formerly successful relationships run their course or become untenable.