Trustee Investments
August 19th, 2010 August 19th, 2010 Posted in Briefings, Doing Business, Finance TipsComments Off
Since the introduction of The trustee Act 2000, trustees now have particular duties relating to the servicing and admin of trust funds. The duty of care applies to lay and professional trustees. Still higher standards are expected from professional trustees.
A statutory duty of care applies to the trustee investments that are contained within the trust. For new or existing trusts, the trustees must take into account the trusts aims and the suitability of the investment funds to be held.
Trustees have an obligation to protect the value of the trust fund, whilst providing income for the beneficiaries. It is crucial for trustees to consider the suitableness of the investments held, funding, the type of trust in place and the requirements of the beneficiaries.
A diversified portfolio of assets should be used to meet the trusts particular objectives.
This type of approach can help to limit the volatility within the trust investment funds by placing across individual asset classes. It is important to take into account risk any special demands of the trustees. This could also include vesting in an ethical or sociably responsible manner.
Trustees have an administrative responsibility to survey the assets contained within the trust on a regular basis. This can be a time-consuming and lengthy process, particularly if the trust executives are not knowledgeable investors.
Trusts and Financial Advice
It is important to seek unbiased and impartial advice on the assets held within any form of trust arrangement. We regularly advise new and existing trustees on acceptable asset allocation investment strategies.
Trustees often engage the investor services of a bank or stockbroker. Occasionally the service is not particular to the demands of the individual trust. A 1 size fits all approach may not take into consideration the specific needs of the trust. E.g., the demands of a large educational trust should be different to a small family trust.
The costs to administrate the investment funds are an important element. The admin fees charged by stockbrokers and banks for trust investment advice can be high. This can impact on the investment returns the trust can attain.
Our investing process takes into account the charges, as this is a known component when we recommend specific investments.
If as trustees you are thinking about vesting it is fundamental to remember that the value of the trust investment and the income given could possibly fall as well as rise. There is no guarantee you will get back more than you vested.
Consilium Asset Management are based in Chipping Sodbury and offer a unique Educational Trustee investment management service Education trusts.