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Probate & Trust Law Section Conference Manual ... - Minnesota CLE

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Example of <strong>Trust</strong> f/b/o ”H.”<br />

I mentioned the difficulty of working with multiple amendments and<br />

<strong>Trust</strong>ee’s Powers that are incorporated by reference. I was administering<br />

a trust created by a document executed in 1982. The document was later<br />

amended in 1987 and again in 1991. The original document referenced<br />

the <strong>Trust</strong>ee’s Powers as they existed on the date of execution of the<br />

document. The 1991 amendment made reference to the <strong>Minnesota</strong><br />

Uniform Principal and Income act (UPAIA) without specifying a date. The<br />

settlor then died in 1992 and a trust was created. <strong>Minnesota</strong> law later<br />

made a change to the Uniform Principal and Income Act that it applied to<br />

all trusts whether the document was drafted prior to the change in the law<br />

or not. It altered the interpretation of the provisions in the trust that dealt<br />

with charging fees to income and principal. The net income was to be paid<br />

out but the principal discretionary language was very restrictive. When<br />

trying to make a decision about a discretionary distribution, all of these<br />

amendments and laws as incorporated by reference had to be reviewed.<br />

In addition, there was disharmony in the family and the beneficiary was<br />

estranged from her children who were the remaindermen and received<br />

statements. She also had a strained relationship with the settlor.<br />

To further complicate the situation, the lifetime beneficiary was<br />

granted no power over the remainder. The settlor had included a provision<br />

making adopted children permissible beneficiaries however. At the same<br />

time, the settlor wanted to severely restrict access to principal for the<br />

beneficiary. The beneficiary hadn't spoken to her natural children for<br />

decades. She had eventually remarried and had adult step children.<br />

Towards the end of her life, she became close to one of her step<br />

daughters who cared for her as she aged. At age 83 having no other way<br />

to benefit the step daughter with assets from the trust, and no way to<br />

disinherit her natural children as she would have liked, she adopted her<br />

4

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