Advisor-Friendly Trust Services for Financial Advisors: Retain Investment Control, Minimize Liability, Grow Your Practice
Why Partner with Nottingham Trust?
At Nottingham Trust, we recognize that your relationship with your clients is the foundation of your business. Our client-first, advisor-friendly delegated trust services are designed to reinforce those connections, keeping you at the heart of your clients' financial planning.
Our trust strategies help financial advisors:
- Maintain investment management of client assets, including the flexibility to use your preferred custodian
- Offer adaptable, tax-efficient trust structures
- Reduce compliance risk and fiduciary exposure
- Strengthen your value proposition and competitive advantage
- Build lasting, multigenerational client relationships
- Grow your book of high-net-worth clients through increased share of wallet and referrals from satisfied clients
How Nottingham Trust's Advisor-Friendly Trust Services Work
Our collaborative trust model is built on partnership and expertise. We work closely with you and your clients' legal advisors to establish, manage, and administer customized trusts.
Key aspects of our process:
You retain investment management of your clients' trusts. Continue to oversee asset allocation, portfolio management, and investment performance for your clients' trust accounts, using your existing custody platform. This flexibility is one of the most important considerations we hear from advisors, and it's central to how we've built this model.
Nottingham Trust provides fiduciary oversight. We handle trust administration, regulatory compliance, recordkeeping, and beneficiary distributions, ensuring each trust is managed with integrity and professionalism.
Attorneys and accountants manage legal structure. Your clients' attorneys and accountants draft trust documents and advise on legal and tax matters.
For advisors seeking the additional advantages of a modern trust situs, our sister organization New Hampshire Shores Trust offers directed and delegated trust solutions backed by New Hampshire's favorable trust laws.
Seamless Onboarding & Transparent Account Structure
Our onboarding process is designed for clarity and ease, including pre-acceptance review, introductory calls, and coordination of the asset transfer process when needed. Advisors and clients benefit from clear communication and step-by-step support from start to finish. We make it easy to do business with us.
Account Structure Highlights:
Advisor-Managed Account: Holds the trust's marketable securities on your custody platform and pays advisor fees. You maintain investment authority while Nottingham Trust oversees distributions and contributions.
NT Trust Cash Sub-Account: Manages cash, unique assets, and beneficiary distributions; pays trustee fees and trust expenses; maintains liquidity for ongoing distributions.
NT Mirrored and Trust Cash Sub-Account: Established on Nottingham Trust's platform to mirror activity in the Advisor-Managed Account, along with any unique assets and a trust cash balance for processing beneficiary distributions, trustee fees, and trust expenses.
Consolidated Trust Statements: Comprehensive reporting of all trust assets and transactions, with clear separation of income and principal, for beneficiaries and interested parties.
This structure keeps roles well defined, reduces administrative workload, and gives both advisors and clients full transparency.
Frequently Asked Questions About Advisor-Friendly Trust Services
Will I lose control of my clients' investment assets?
No. Nottingham Trust's advisor-friendly delegated trust solution allows you to maintain investment authority and continue managing your clients' assets, using your preferred custodian. We provide fiduciary oversight and handle administrative tasks, while investment management remains with you.
What responsibilities does Nottingham Trust handle?
We manage trust administration, regulatory compliance, recordkeeping, beneficiary distributions, and reporting. This lets you focus on investment strategy and client relationships, while we ensure all fiduciary and regulatory requirements are met.
How does the onboarding process work?
Our onboarding includes a pre-acceptance review, introductory calls, and document preparation. We guide you and your clients through each step for a smooth transition and clear communication, with no risk to your client relationship.
Will my clients' attorneys and accountants still be involved?
Absolutely. Attorneys and accountants remain key partners in drafting trust documents and providing legal and tax advice. Nottingham Trust's collaborative model is designed to strengthen, not replace, the trusted relationships between the advisor, attorney, and accountant, ensuring every client receives comprehensive, coordinated guidance.
How does the account structure support transparency?
Our account structure includes advisor-managed accounts, mirrored accounts for reporting, and consolidated trust statements, with online access for advisors and beneficiaries.
Does partnering with Nottingham Trust increase my compliance risk?
No. Nottingham Trust assumes fiduciary oversight and administrative responsibility, helping you minimize compliance risk and liability while strengthening your value proposition.
How are fees handled?
Advisor fees are paid directly from the Advisor-Managed Account or, in some cases, from the NT Trust Cash Sub-Account. Trustee fees and trust expenses are also paid from the trust's cash sub-account, ensuring transparent, efficient compensation for all parties.
Free Resources for Financial Advisors
Access helpful materials to support your conversations with clients and deepen your understanding of delegated trust services:
How Delegated Trust Services Work — Download PDF. An overview of the delegated trust model, roles, and process.
Download PDF