SFT does not offer investment management services.  Therefore, we do not compete with financial advisors or investment managers.  We work with them by providing fiduciary support, including trust administration and record keeping.

In our administrative role as a corporate fiduciary, it is our responsibility to objectively follow the guidelines established in the trust document.  Before agreeing to manage a trust, Santa Fe Trust consults with the trust client, his or her attorney and financial advisor to review each party’s respective responsibilities.  Within the guidelines of the trust document, SFT allows financial advisors discretion over the trust client's investment portfolio with the limits of the trust document and applicable law.

Financial advisors who work with Santa Fe Trust maintain their relationships with our trust clients.  We provide financial advisors with the knowledge and data they need to keep our clients well informed on a local level.  We also make every effort to allow financial advisors to deal with their preferred broker or custodian to minimize trade processing changes.

Santa Fe Trust does not provide any investment management services.  We work with outside financial advisors who, like Santa Fe Trust, specialize in their area, which allows our trust clients to work with their own qualified financial advisors.  As a corporate fiduciary, SFT oversees the investment activities of the trust’s financial advisor to ensure the trust assets are being invested in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the trust document.

Choosing a trustee is the most important decision when implementing a trust.  The legal requirements of trust management are complicated, time-consuming and impose a great deal of potential liability on trustees.  Improper, inexperienced administration can lead to conflicts, liability, unnecessary expenses and even litigation.

Unlike individuals, corporate trustees like SFT never die or become incapacitated.  These entities carry fiduciary liability insurance to protect trust assets and invest heavily in specialized trust accounting software and computerized systems to improve efficiency while keeping administrative costs low.

Corporate trustees employ professionals who know how best to deal with the complex tax, legal and accounting issues that must be addressed on behalf of beneficiaries.  Corporate trustees are also audited regularly to assure compliance with the state and federal regulations designed to protect trust clients.

Excellent Personal Service.  Santa Fe Trust specializes in trust and estate administration.  When SFT is appointed corporate trustee, your trust will be assigned to an experienced, responsive administrative team who know you personally.

Independence.  Santa Fe Trust was founded as an independent trust company.  SFT focuses solely on trust administration and recognizes the importance of the individual’s ability to choose.  For example, some SFT clients have the option of using a Self-directed Trust.  In this type of trust, SFT acts as Administrative Agent, allowing our trust clients the ability to personally oversee trust performance.

Trust Experts.  In today's complex financial world the best service providers are those who specialize.  Santa Fe Trust specializes exclusively in trust account administration.  We work with outside investment, legal, tax and insurance professionals who specialize in their respective fields.  This team of specialists works directly with our trust clients to deliver the most fiducially responsible trust account management.  Appointing SFT as corporate fiduciary helps to ensure proper and prudent trust administration and the ultimate realization of the goals our trust clients establish when creating their trusts.

Maximum Flexibility.  Because Santa Fe Trust works with many different outside investment, legal, tax and insurance advisors, SFT trust clients enjoy the flexibility of using their own financial advisors or Santa Fe Trust can provide references to professionals who suit your specific needs.

Superior Experience.  Santa Fe Trust's professional staff has over 100 years of combined experience working in the trust industry.  Our staff of attorneys is well versed in trust law and our trust officers are well educated in managing individual’s financial affairs.

Strength and Security.  Santa Fe Trust is regulated by the Financial Institutions Division (FID) of the State of New Mexico.  This governmental agency examines corporate operations and individual trust accounts on a regular basis.  SFT implements annual operational audits by an independent accounting firm.  In accordance with regulatory requirements, Santa Fe Trust carries "errors and omissions" and "directors’ and officers’" liability insurance.  SFT fidelity bonds all employees.  SFT segregates the trust account assets of our clients from Santa Fe Trust corporate assets and contracts with third-party banks and custody service providers to hold the trust assets of our clients in our behalf.  Santa Fe Trust conducts regular reviews of our client’s trust accounts to ensure that they are managed according to sound fiduciary principles and within the terms of the respective trust documents.

No Trust Service Termination Fees.  Unlike many other trust service providers, Santa Fe Trust charges no trust service termination fees.  If you ever become dissatisfied with our service, we will promptly transfer your trust to another qualified trustee without special charges.

Santa Fe Trust uses state-of-the-art trust accounting software and services to provide our clients with easy-to-understand account statements, detailed year-end reports and timely disbursement checks.  Please click here to view a sample Statement of Account.

Santa Fe Trust outsources our tax return preparation work either to independent certified public accountants or a national tax return preparation service that specializes in fiduciary tax return preparation.  If you do not have an accountant to prepare the returns for your trust we will use our national service or assist you in finding a qualified preparer in your area.  Regardless who prepares a trust’s returns, SFT takes responsibility for the preparer’s work and signs the returns in behalf of the trust.

No.  Santa Fe Trust cannot practice law and does not prepare trust documents.  However, SFT is available to consult with clients’ attorneys upon request while they are drafting or amending trust documents to be administered by Santa Fe Trust.  SFT can make recommendations to our client’s attorneys regarding administrative provisions that we believe will facilitate our administration of the trust.

Disclaimer: SFT engages in this activity for internal risk management purposes only.  Any comments or suggestions SFT makes to counsel are not to be considered legal opinions of any kind and may not be relied upon by any party for any purpose.  Attorneys who are drafting any documents SFT reviews must exercise their own independent legal judgment in accepting or rejecting any recommendations made.  Santa Fe Trust does not draft legal documents, provide legal advice of any kind, or guarantee or endorse the work of any attorney in any fashion or for any purpose.

Yes.  Although SFT is headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we are legally permitted to act as corporate trustee for individuals in most states.  Financial advisors and prospective trust clients should contact SFT in advance to make this determination with certainty before we are appointed to serve as a trustee or successor trustee in any client's trust documents.

The staff of Santa Fe Trust will review the trust document to determine if the trust can be transferred to SFT.  If the trust is transferable, we will advise you and/or your client on the procedures for perfecting the transfer.

Santa Fe Trust is generally appointed as the trustee or co-trustee in a trust relationship.  However, SFT will provide trust administration services under contract to a trustee who retains us as an administrative agent.  For example, should a trust client choose to serve as his or her own trustee, or appoint an inexperienced family member to the trusteeship, Santa Fe Trust can provide all of the services offered by SFT which would be required for a lay trustee to perform administrative duties and responsibilities.  In such agency relationships, SFT’s fiduciary liability will be limited and we will rarely accept investment management oversight duties or responsibilities.  The trustee who hires SFT on an agency basis will be legally liable for the ultimate quality of our work product and administrative performance, as well as the investment activities of whomever the trustee hires to perform the investment management function.

Santa Fe Trust provides fiduciary, administrative and record-keeping support for all types of personal trusts (both revocable and irrevocable) including:

Asset protection trusts
Credit shelter trusts / Bypass trusts
Family trusts
Incentive trusts
Marital trusts
Q-tip trusts
Residuary trusts
Generation skipping transfer trusts
Estate settlement trusts
Dynasty trusts
Special Assets Trusts
Custodial Trusts
Irrevocable Life Insurance trusts (ILITs)
(Existing) Private Annuity Trusts (PATs)
Court-created trusts
IRAs and IRA conduit trusts

Santa Fe Trust charges an asset based fee on all accounts for which we provide fiduciary, administrative and record-keeping support, except for irrevocable life insurance trusts, for which we charge a flat annual fee.  Generally, these fees are below industry averages.  Please contact our Marketing and Sales Department at 888-984-2775 to obtain a current fee schedule.

Please call us at 888-984-2775 or email us at contact@santafetrust.com.