Who Protects Your Protector? Preparing Your Successor Trustee for Success
When you create a trust, you put a great deal of thought into choosing the right successor trustee—the person who will step in to manage your affairs and carry out your wishes if you can’t. This person is your protector: the one who safeguards your assets, looks out for your beneficiaries, and ensures your legacy unfolds exactly as you intended.
But here’s a question most people never consider: Who protects your protector?
Serving as a trustee is an honor—but it’s also a burden. If your successor trustee isn’t properly prepared, the role can quickly become overwhelming, stressful, and even legally risky. Preparing your successor trustee for success isn’t just a courtesy—it’s a critical part of making your plan actually work.
The Hidden Weight of Being a Trustee
Many people name a family member or close friend as their successor trustee without fully understanding what the role requires. A trustee’s responsibilities may include:
- Managing complex finances and investments
- Communicating with beneficiaries (and sometimes navigating family conflict)
- Filing taxes and keeping meticulous records
- Handling property sales or business transitions
- Making discretionary decisions about distributions
Even the most trusted and capable person can struggle if they’re not given the tools, guidance, and support to step confidently into the role.
How to Set Your Successor Trustee Up for Success
Preparing your successor trustee isn’t about giving them a binder of legal documents and wishing them luck. It’s about building a support system and roadmap that makes their job easier and protects your legacy. Here’s how:
- Choose Wisely—and Honestly
- Pick someone who is not only trustworthy but also organized, communicative, and resilient.
- Consider whether they have the time and emotional bandwidth to serve, especially if they’re also grieving your loss.
- Pick someone who is not only trustworthy but also organized, communicative, and resilient.
- Give Them the Right Information
- Don’t assume they’ll know where to start. Provide:
- A summary of the trust and its key provisions.
- Contact information for your attorney, accountant, and financial advisor.
- A roadmap of assets, including accounts, insurance policies, and property details.
- A summary of the trust and its key provisions.
- Don’t assume they’ll know where to start. Provide:
- Introduce Them to Your “Team”
- A trustee doesn’t have to work alone. Introduce them to the professionals who can support them, including:
- Estate planning attorney for guidance on the trust.
- CPA or tax preparer to handle filings.
- Financial advisor for asset management and distributions.
- Estate planning attorney for guidance on the trust.
- Knowing who to call can prevent costly mistakes.
- A trustee doesn’t have to work alone. Introduce them to the professionals who can support them, including:
- Talk About Family Dynamics
- Trustees often face difficult conversations with beneficiaries.
- Sharing your intentions and reasoning in advance can prevent conflict and protect your trustee from feeling “caught in the middle.”
- Trustees often face difficult conversations with beneficiaries.
- Create a Trustee Playbook
- Consider preparing a succinct guide that explains what to do in the first 30, 60, and 90 days after they step in.
- Include key deadlines, like tax filings or property insurance renewals.
- Consider preparing a succinct guide that explains what to do in the first 30, 60, and 90 days after they step in.
Why Protecting Your Trustee Protects Your Legacy
When your successor trustee feels prepared and supported, your estate plan works smoothly. When they feel confused, isolated, or unprotected, even the best-drafted trust can stall, triggering delays, family tension, and unintended costs.
By investing time now to set your trustee up for success, you’re not just helping them—you’re protecting your family, your wishes, and the legacy you’ve worked so hard to build.
The Takeaway
Your successor trustee is stepping into one of the most important roles in your life story. Protecting them with clear instructions, a support network, and professional guidance ensures they can protect everything you’ve built.
Your trust may hold your wealth—but your trustee holds your legacy in motion. Make sure they’re ready to carry it forward.
If you Need Help, It Would Be Our Pleasure...
Kevin Snyder is a husband, father, and an Orange County estate planning attorney and elder law attorney at Snyder Law, PC in Irvine, California. He's all about family and passionate about estate planning, elder law, and veterans. He founded Snyder Law to help people be prepared and have the peace of mind they are protecting their families and aging parents for when life happens.