America’s Most Advisor-Friendly Trust Companies Showcase - Flipbook - Page 26
2026 ADVISOR-FRIENDLY TRUST COMPANIES
New business contact:
Brandon Crooks
CEO
Phone: (717) 718-1600
Email: bcrooks@counseltrust.com
Website: www.counseltrust.com
COUNSEL
TRUST
COMPANY
Brandon Crooks
CEO
Counsel Trust Company
414 Union St, Ste 1900, Nashville, TN 37209
www.counseltrust.com
Counsel Trust Company is a Tennessee-chartered, familyfounded corporate trustee built to support independent financial
advisors and the families they serve. Founded in 2002 to bring
care, judgment, and accountability to trust administration, the firm
was founded by Ed Crooks and Brian Selby, with David Dolan
helping shape the institutional foundation. Today, Counsel Trust is
led by CEO Brandon Crooks, who was named in 2018 and helped
establish the firm’s primary Tennessee trust charter.
High- and ultra-high-net-worth
clients continue to depart large
bank trust operations, frustrated by slow, expensive, and
impersonal service. Advisors
who provide a more personalized, boutique-style experience
stand to gain significant assets—but only if a dependable
corporate trustee partner is in
place. The directed trust model
is the modern answer: the
advisor continues to manage
investments, while the trustee
handles fiduciary administration, compliance, and
distribution decisions. Clear
role separation reduces friction
and creates accountability,
especially when trust assets
can remain at the client’s preferred custodian for portfolio
management continuity.
As more families implement
sophisticated estate plans,
advisors are recognizing that
trust administration is not a
“back office” afterthought; it
is a core component of client
retention across generations.
The best trustee relationships feel seamless and
transparent, so the advisor
can stay focused on investment management and the
family relationship, while the
grantor’s intentions are carried
out with consistency and
care. That is the promise of a
truly advisor-friendly directed
trustee partner.
We combine the structure and reliability of a corporate trustee
with the accessibility of a small firm that always picks up the
phone. Our specialty is directed trustee services: a directed trust
separates investment management from trust administration,
allowing the advisor to manage investments while Counsel Trust
handles fiduciary, administrative, and compliance responsibilities.
We also support delegated trust structures when appropriate.
Counsel Trust is custodian agnostic. Trust assets can remain at
the advisor’s preferred custodian, while SEI serves as our principal
custody and trust accounting platform and supports electronic
data links across major custodial platforms for accounting,
reporting, and tax coordination.
Because we are chartered in Tennessee, trusts can benefit
from modern trust-friendly statutes, including an extended trust
duration of 360 years and no state income tax on trust earnings,
even when beneficiaries live outside Tennessee. Non-fiduciary
advisors and trust protectors can be meaningfully involved without
liability.
We administer a broad range of trusts—revocable and irrevocable,
charitable, special needs and guardianship, testamentary, life
insurance, asset protection, and multigenerational—and can serve
as sole trustee, co-trustee, successor trustee, or directed trustee.
Transitions are designed to be smooth: we review the document,
coordinate with the current trustee, advisor, and attorney, prepare
necessary appointment documents, and transfer or link assets to
our accounting platform. Most distribution requests are reviewed
within two business days with clear explanations grounded in the
trust’s instructions.
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CONTACT
States chartered/licensed in:
Tennessee
Average account size:
$4 million
Total assets (AUA): $4 billion
Custodians supported: All
major Custodians
Fees
Annual minimum fee: $4,000
Fee scale (for directed and
delegated trust services):
First $1 million – 0.40%
Next $2 million – 0.35%
Next $2 million – 0.30%
Next $5 million – 0.25%
Over $10 million – 0.20%
Number of in-house experts: 10
Trust accounting system:
SEI SWP
Supports directed trusts: Yes
Supports delegated trusts: Yes
Typical timeframe for
acceptance of new trust:
24 to 48 hours
Marketing support includes:
Brochures and face-to-face
meetings with advisors, clients,
and prospects nationwide.
