America’s Most Advisor-Friendly Trust Companies Showcase - Flipbook - Page 6
2026 AMERICA’S MOST ADVISOR-FRIENDLY TRUST COMPANIES
criteria that directly shape the advisory
relationship . . . the kind of details that
make the difference between whether
someone is truly friendly to advisors or
just wants to project that image. How
do trust companies handle directed
and delegated trusts? Some of you
might want one kind of relationship and
some might want the other. And then
there are those who are happy with
2025 Wealth Advisor Trust Survey:
Exceptional Partners, Best Practices
H
ype takes you only so far in the
detail-oriented world of trust
services, where no amount of
marketing muscle can make up for a
single unexpected tax bill or unhappy
client. A lot of the best companies fly
deep under the radar, doing their best
and relying on word of mouth to drive
fresh assets in the door.
That’s especially true where advisorfriendly trust companies are concerned.
Few have consumer-facing brands
to nurture. They aren’t interested in
accumulating prestige as a lure for
wealthy families. Instead, they stay in
the back office and let the advisors they
work with stay in the spotlight. And
everyone in this book is very, very good
at what they do. That’s why they’re
here. You’re an advisor, and they want
to be your friend, your ally, your partner.
However, there are still areas where
various providers are recognized as
industry leaders. Some companies
have broad reach and a lot of name
recognition. Others are less well known
but have extremely loyal followings
within the wealth management
community. That’s important to
track because a lot of advisors cite
“reputation” as a reason to pursue a
relationship with a given trust company.
So, which trust companies have
the best reputations? We asked the
350,000 advisors in our network to
share their experience with every
company you’ll find profiled in this
book. Popularity had nothing to do
with it. It’s all about intensity. If only
one advisor spoke up and loved you,
you did well. If thousands took the
trouble to rate you “average,” the
weight of their lack of enthusiasm
dragged you down. And it only takes
a few disappointments to knock you
out of the top tier entirely. (Nobody in
this book scored materially worse than
“average” in any category.)
EXCEPTIONAL PARTNERS
We’ve started small with simple
How do you use trust services and estate planning in your practice?
HIGH-NET-WORTH ESTATE
PLANNING
FAMILY BUSINESS
SUCCESSION PLANNING
66%
39%
BASIC ESTATE PLANNING AND
AVOIDING INTESTACY
39%
SPECIAL NEEDS TRUST
39%
CHARITABLE GIVING
AND PHILANTHROPY
37%
BLENDED FAMILY
34%
RETIREMENT ASSETS
34%
ASSET PROTECTION TRUST
33%
DIGITAL ASSETS
9%
INTERNATIONAL
ESTATE PLANNING
6%
ECO-FRIENDLY / SUSTAINABLE
3%
What do you wish trust companies would offer you?
ACCESS TO ESTATE PLANNERS /
LEGAL EXPERTISE
24%
BETTER TECHNOLOGY
17%
WHITE-LABEL SERVICE /
EMBEDDED TRUST OFFICER
14%
“HOLISTIC” INSIGHT INTO
HELD-AWAY FAMILY ASSETS
MARKETING AND CLIENT
EDUCATION
12%
ALTERNATIVE
INVESTMENT SUPPORT
7%
DIGITAL ASSET SUPPORT
6%
6
11%
