We'll walk through how this trust administration course works, what you'll be learning, and a few important things to keep in mind before you get started. This is your roadmap for what's ahead.

Understand what it means to serve as a trustee and how to evaluate whether you should accept the role. We'll cover trustee duties, potential risks, compensation, and other important factors to help you make an informed choice.

Understand what it means to act as a fiduciary and how to carry out your duties as a trustee. This chapter covers trustee responsibilities, liability risks, and best practices for managing trust assets and beneficiary relationships.

Being a trustee doesn't mean doing everything yourself. We'll show you how to assemble the right team, when to bring in experts, and how to choose and manage them.

Understand how to organize trust documents, records, and financial information as a trustee. We'll cover filing systems, recordkeeping best practices, and how to stay prepared for accountings, taxes, and beneficiary questions.

There's a lot to do—but this is where you start. Learn the essential steps of trust administration with a detailed trustee checklist. We'll cover how to gather documents, identify and protect assets, notify beneficiaries, and handle key early responsibilities.

Understand the rules for investing trust assets and your responsibilities as a fiduciary. We'll cover diversification, risk tolerance, portfolio strategy, and how to work with an investment advisor to manage trust funds.

Providing an accounting is one of your key duties as a trustee. This chapter shows you how to track income, expenses, and assets—and how to present it all in a clear, organized way for the beneficiaries.

Learn about trust taxes, estate taxes, and income tax responsibilities during trust administration. We'll cover what taxes a trustee may need to file, how trust income is taxed, and what beneficiaries may encounter.

Learn what happens when a business is involved in trust administration and how ownership is handled after a death. We'll cover common business types—like sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs, and corporations—and what a trustee or executor can expect.

Understand how to distribute trust property, including personal property, real estate, and financial assets. We'll cover trustee responsibilities, beneficiary considerations, and best practices for making fair and accurate distributions.

Learn how to wrap up trust administration and formally terminate the trust. We'll walk through the final steps, including final tax filings, closing trust accounts, and making final distributions to beneficiaries.

Wrap up the course with a look back at everything you've learned about trust administration—from getting started to making final distributions. Now you have the knowledge and tools you need to move forward, whether you handle it yourself or work alongside an attorney.