Follow this step‑by‑step checklist to confidently select trustees, executors, and agents who will actually protect your family.
Based on: Choosing a Trustee, Executor or Agent: What Families Often Miss by American Estate Planning Series
▶ Watch the source video on YouTube
What if the person you trusted most to protect your family's legacy is actually the worst choice for the job? Most families never think twice about naming a responsible sibling or a business-owning relative as trustee — and that single decision can unravel decades of careful planning the moment it matters most.
Here's the reality that estate planning attorneys rarely spell out clearly: being a trustee means accepting 100% personal liability for every financial decision, filing annual trust tax returns, documenting every transaction with written justification, managing family conflict, and potentially doing this work for a decade or more. Your brother Jason who runs a successful business is already slammed. Now imagine him deciding whether to cut your son a check at Thanksgiving dinner. That's the situation families actually end up in.
Now picture this instead: your estate plan names the right people for the right roles, with clear written instructions guiding every decision. Your successor trustee knows your financial advisor, your tax preparer, and exactly what you want for your loved ones. Your healthcare agent and your financial agent are two different people — each focused on what they do best. Your family gathers at Thanksgiving as a family, not as co-administrators of a contested trust. That's what getting this right actually looks like.
Paul Rabalais of the American Estate Planning Series brings 35 years of legal experience to this conversation, joined by Marguerite Lorenz — a second-generation private professional trustee with over 23 years of hands-on experience serving thousands of families across the country. Marguerite's firm, Lorenz Private Trustees, has been operating for over 50 years, and her insights here go far beyond what most estate planning appointments ever cover.
This checklist distills everything Paul and Marguerite covered into a clear, actionable guide you can work through before your next attorney appointment. It walks you through evaluating individual versus professional trustees, asking the right questions, communicating your intentions clearly, funding your trust properly, and building the team your family will actually need. Download the checklist, follow the steps, and walk into your estate planning meeting prepared to make decisions you can feel good about for years to come.
Every checklist item comes with actionable notes to guide you — things like "Don't forget to do this before you start," "Avoid this common mistake," or "Set a reminder for 30 days out." Nothing vague, just clear next steps.
+ 21 more action items inside...
Instant PDF download. Start taking action today.
✓ Instant download · ✓ PDF format · ✓ No subscription