Beneficiary Access to InformationBeneficiary Access to Information

Trustees aren’t exempt from the truism in their relationships with beneficiaries that all relationships flourish or wither in part in relation to the overall health of the communications between the parties. A significant difference, of course, is that unlike other relationships, a trustee/beneficiary relationship gone wrong can be an invitation to litigation.

With communications as the touchstone, where do trustees go wrong? In reciprocal fashion, what do they do right? What are better/best practices? 

Case Study

This case study illustrates the best of intentions married to the worst of results. (Names have been changed to preserve privacy—and to let sleeping dogs lie. The story is true.)

Fred grew up in poverty in one of the wealthiest com...