Why Your Responsible Child Might Be the Wrong Trustee

What actually happens after a professional trustee takes over a trust and a beneficiary asks for money?

In this episode, Jill sits down with longtime friend and trust advisor Alex Fisher for a behind-the-scenes look at how professional trustees actually do the job. They walk through how distribution requests are evaluated, what happens when the answer is no, and why naming the “responsible child” as trustee may come with costs parents don't always consider.

They also discuss what professional trustees look for before agreeing to serve, why flexibility matters when drafting a long-term trust, and how an estate plan can adapt when the family, the assets, or the world looks very different decades from now.