Our clients asked us to review their trust deed, written about twenty years ago, to see if it was still appropriate for them. Like many trusts drafted at the time, it contained an extensive list of beneficiaries, including partners of their children and grandchildren.
The couple never had any real intention of distributing income outside the family bloodline and were concerned about the trustees' obligations to disclose information about the trust to adult beneficiaries.
The trustees decided to use their powers (written in the trust deed) to exclude beneficiaries and reduce the list of beneficiaries to the bloodline.
