America’s Most Advisor-Friendly Trust Companies Showcase - Flipbook - Page 17
2026 AMERICA’S MOST ADVISOR-FRIENDLY TRUST COMPANIES
82%
OF OUR READERS SAY FINDING
A TRUST COMPANY THEY CAN
RECOMMEND TO THEIR BEST
CLIENTS HAS TRANSLATED
INTO NEW RELATIONSHIPS,
ENHANCED ACCOUNT
RETENTION, OR BOTH.
is “advisor-centric,” full of people who
have made a special commitment to
eliminate conflicts of interest between
themselves and you.
Even if they wanted to try and
capture your clients, they couldn’t.
And nobody I’ve spoken with has
something even close to that urge.
That’s a platform that you can rely
on as you build closer partnerships,
unlock joint efficiencies, and become
a more nimble operator as you face
down industry rivals who pose a more
immediate competitive threat.
It’s a rare thing to be advisor-centric.
A large percentage of trust companies
can’t—or won’t—really do that. They
offer one-size-fits-all, commodity
service solutions that worked alright
in the past but will look increasingly
behind the curve as the path of
Washington policy blazes on. Many
will be perpetually distracted as they
fight to reassert their relevance.
Others, meanwhile, will embrace
internal agendas and expand at any
cost, even if that means betraying the
investment advisors they once vowed
never to compete against. They’re
actively hiring reps to staff their offices
and build face-to-face relationships
with the wealthy investors they were
introduced to in good faith. You won’t
find those companies here.
FIND THE PERFECT MATCH
As you put together a short list of
trust companies that may be a good
fit for your clients, remember that
diversification is key. Just as every
one of your clients is different and
has unique needs, many of the best
providers are generalists who excel
in a niche or two, or are outright
specialists.
Learn to recognize the jargon that
differentiates one trust company from
another so you can build a balanced
team of potential partners. Some
are geared toward self-directed IRAs
and pure, hands-off custody and
administration. Others shine when it
comes to classic directed trusts where
trust officers and advisors work more
closely together.
Some of your clients will want to create
trusts that favor one group or the
other. If possible, cultivate relationships
with at least a few from either side of
the bench to give your clients the best
pool of options to work with.
Ideally, a dedicated trust officer is
assigned to each account. Examine
how payments and beneficiary/client
communications are handled.
Advisors seeking a trust company for
a directed trust that does not contain
discretionary provisions can focus on
the easy questions:
• Is a dedicated trust officer
responsible for each account?
• How are income or principal
requests handled?
• What are the turnaround times and
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payment methods?
• How are communications with the
beneficiary handled?
• How quickly can the trust company
respond to document review,
interpretation, and explanation
requests from a client or financial
advisor?
When trustee discretion is an issue,
the process of finding the right fit can
become more difficult, then chemistry
becomes more important.
WHAT OTHER ADVISORS ARE
LOOKING FOR
The Wealth Advisor’s audience
includes some of the highest-powered
professionals in the industry. Not
surprisingly, most of you want to open
up your business to support trusts for
very simple reasons: A wider offering
makes it easier to court new clients,
encourage existing relationships to
trust you with more of their assets,
and generate more revenue on every
dollar of AUM on your platform.
A full 82% of our readers say finding a
trust company they can recommend
to their best clients has translated into
new relationships, enhanced account
retention, or both. That’s it. It’s a pure
business decision, and the numbers
speak for themselves.
In terms of picking a trust services
provider that can help you achieve
those goals, you are all about
testimonials. A reader survey we
conducted revealed that 80% of you
say reputation and length of time
in business are the most important
factors in picking a partner. Just about
half as many —43%— are looking for
the lowest-priced solution.
What does this mean? Advisors look
for testimonials and case studies to
