Prudent process, documented as you go.
Trustee disputes often turn less on investment results than on process — the prudent-investor standard is generally understood to judge conduct rather than outcomes. That does not mean investment losses can never create liability; they can. But trustees are frequently faulted for being unable to explain why they did what they did — for decisions made informally, with no record of the reasoning behind them.
Our work with trustees is built around that reality: a written investment policy tied to the trust's actual purpose, scheduled reviews with dated notes, and clear records of every distribution and its justification.
Investment policy statements
A written policy tied to the trust's terms, time horizon, and the needs of its beneficiaries — the document that shows your process was deliberate.
Prudent delegation
Many trust instruments permit a trustee to delegate investment management, though this depends on the trust’s terms and applicable law. Where it is permitted, selecting and overseeing a delegate with reasonable care is generally part of a sound process. ALG Financial would be compensated if engaged in that role.
Balancing beneficiaries
Income for a surviving spouse today against principal for children later. We help you weigh genuinely competing interests and document how you reached your decision.
Concentrated and illiquid assets
Family land and closely held business interests rarely produce income. We work through what the trust can and cannot reasonably do.
Records and reporting
Documentation and reporting designed to support your account to beneficiaries, co-trustees, and, if it comes to it, a court. No adviser can promise a particular outcome in a dispute.
Working with counsel
We coordinate with the attorney who drafted the trust rather than interpreting ambiguous language on our own.
Serving as a trustee?
Whether you accepted the role knowingly or inherited it unexpectedly, a first conversation costs nothing and is a chance to talk through the questions you are facing.
