701.0808(2)
(2) A settlor in a trust instrument, a court in a trust instrument or court order, or interested persons in a nonjudicial settlement agreement may appoint a directing party to direct the trustee on investment or distribution decisions or to make investment or distribution decisions regarding directed trust property. If a trustee acts in accordance with the direction of a directing party or fails to act due to lack of direction from a directing party, the trustee is not liable for any loss resulting directly or indirectly from any action taken or omitted with respect to the direction or lack of direction except for acts or omissions that are a result of the trustee's willful misconduct.
701.0808(3)
(3) A trustee does not have a duty to do any of the following:
701.0808(3)(a)
(a) Provide advice to, consult with, monitor, or evaluate a directing party's conduct.
701.0808(3)(b)
(b) Inform or warn a beneficiary, a 3rd party, or a directing party that the trustee disagrees with any of the directing party's actions or directions.
701.0808(3)(c)
(c) Prevent a directing party from giving a direction or taking any action.
701.0808(3)(d)
(d) Compel a directing party to redress the directing party's actions or directions.
701.0808(4)
(4) The administrative actions of a trustee related to matters within the scope of a directing party's power, including confirming that the directing party's directions have been carried out and recording and reporting actions taken pursuant to the directing party's direction, do not constitute either monitoring the directing party's actions or participating in the actions of the directing party.
701.0808(5)
(5) A directing party is a fiduciary and is required to act in good faith with regard to the terms of the trust and the interests of the beneficiaries. A directing party is liable for any loss that results from a breach of any of the directing party's fiduciary duties.
701.0808(6)(a)(a) A directing party may request information about the trust from the trustee and, if the requested information is related to a power granted to the directing party, the trustee shall provide the requested information to the directing party. If a trustee is bound by any confidentiality restrictions with respect to information requested by a directing party, the trustee may require that the directing party agree to be bound by the confidentiality restrictions before delivering such information to the directing party. A trustee is not liable to any beneficiary for any loss or damages resulting from the trustee providing information to the directing party that is related to the power granted to the directing party.
701.0808(6)(b)
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a trustee does not have a duty to provide any information to the directing party that the directing party does not request.
701.0808(7)
(7) A trustee shall, in accordance with
s. 701.1004, pay or reimburse a directing party for attorney fees and costs to defend any claim made against the directing party.
701.0808(9)
(9) A person who accepts an appointment as a directing party of a trust submits to the jurisdiction of the courts of this state, as provided in
s. 701.0202 (1).
701.0808 History
History: 2013 a. 92,
151.
701.0809
701.0809
Control and protection of trust property. A trustee shall take reasonable steps to take control of and protect the trust property.
701.0809 History
History: 2013 a. 92.
701.0810
701.0810
Record keeping and identification of trust property. 701.0810(1)(1) A trustee shall keep adequate records of the administration of the trust.
701.0810(2)
(2) A trustee shall keep trust property separate from the trustee's own property.
701.0810(3)
(3) Except as otherwise provided in
sub. (4), a trustee shall cause the trust property to be designated so that the interest of the trust, to the extent feasible, appears in records maintained by a party other than a trustee or beneficiary.
701.0810(4)
(4) If the trustee maintains records clearly indicating the respective interests, a trustee may invest as a whole the property of 2 or more separate trusts.
701.0810 History
History: 2013 a. 92.
701.0811
701.0811
Enforcement and defense of claims. A trustee shall take reasonable steps to enforce claims of the trust known to the trustee and to defend claims against the trust known to the trustee.
701.0811 History
History: 2013 a. 92.
701.0812
701.0812
Collecting trust property; duties of successor trustees. 701.0812(1)(1) A trustee shall take reasonable steps to compel a former trustee or other person to deliver trust property to the trustee, and to redress a breach of trust known to the trustee to have been committed by a trustee or former trustee, or a trust protector or former trust protector.
701.0812(2)
(2) A successor trustee does not have a duty to examine the accounts of a former trustee.
701.0812 History
History: 2013 a. 92.
701.0813
701.0813
Duty to inform and report. 701.0813(1)
(1) A trustee shall keep the distributees or permissible distributees of trust income or principal, and other qualified beneficiaries who so request, reasonably informed about the administration of the trust. Unless unreasonable under the circumstances, a trustee shall promptly respond to a qualified beneficiary's request for information related to the administration of the trust.
701.0813(2)
(2) A trustee shall do all of the following:
701.0813(2)(a)
(a) Upon the request of a qualified beneficiary for a copy of the trust instrument, promptly furnish to the qualified beneficiary either a copy of the portions of the trust instrument relating to the interest of the qualified beneficiary or a copy of the trust instrument.
701.0813(2)(b)
(b) Within a reasonable period of time after accepting a trusteeship, notify the qualified beneficiaries of the acceptance and of the trustee's name, address, and telephone number.
701.0813(2)(c)
(c) Within a reasonable period of time after the date on which the trustee acquires knowledge of the creation of an irrevocable trust, or the date on which the trustee acquires knowledge that a formerly revocable trust has become irrevocable, whether by the death of the settlor or otherwise, notify the qualified beneficiaries of all of the following:
701.0813(2)(c)3.
3. The name, address, and telephone number of each directing party and trust protector.
701.0813(2)(d)
(d) Notify the distributees or permissible distributees of trust income or principal, and other qualified beneficiaries who so request, of any change in the method or rate of the trustee's compensation.
701.0813(2)(e)
(e) Upon receiving a petition to the court for action under
ss. 701.0411 to
701.0416 that does not identify each trust protector and each directing party of the trust, notify the petitioning party of the identity of each trust protector and directing party, including the name, address, and telephone number of each trust protector and directing party, who is serving at the time the petition is filed.
701.0813(3)(a)(a) At least annually and upon the termination of a trust, a trustee shall send to the distributees or permissible distributees of trust income or principal, and to other qualified beneficiaries who request it, all of the following:
701.0813(3)(a)1.
1. A report of the trust property, liabilities, receipts, and disbursements, including the source and amount of the trustee's compensation.
701.0813(3)(a)2.
2. A listing of the trust assets and, if feasible, their respective market values.
701.0813(3)(b)
(b) Upon a vacancy in a trusteeship, unless a cotrustee remains in office, the former trustee shall send a report containing the information described under
par. (a) 1. to the qualified beneficiaries. A personal representative or guardian may send the qualified beneficiaries a report containing the information described in
par. (a) 1. on behalf of a deceased or incapacitated trustee.
701.0813(4)
(4) A qualified beneficiary may waive the right to a trustee's report or other information otherwise required to be furnished under this section. A qualified beneficiary, with respect to future reports and other information, may withdraw a waiver previously given.
701.0813(5)
(5) Subsections (2) (b) and
(c) and
(3) do not apply to a trustee who accepts a trusteeship before July 1, 2014, to an irrevocable trust created before July 1, 2014, or to a revocable trust that becomes irrevocable before July 1, 2014.
701.0813 History
History: 2013 a. 92.
701.0814
701.0814
Discretionary powers; tax savings. 701.0814(1)
(1) Notwithstanding the breadth of discretion granted to a trustee in the terms of the trust, including the use of such terms as “absolute," “sole," or “uncontrolled," the trustee shall exercise a discretionary power in good faith and in accordance with the terms and purposes of the trust and the interests of the beneficiaries. A court may not determine that a trustee abused its discretion merely because the court would have exercised the discretion in a different manner or would not have exercised the discretion.
701.0814(2)
(2) Subject to
sub. (4), and unless the terms of the trust expressly indicate that a provision of this subsection does not apply, all of the following apply:
701.0814(2)(a)
(a) A person other than a settlor who is a beneficiary and a trustee, directing party, or trust protector of a trust that confers on the trustee, directing party, or trust protector a power to make discretionary distributions to or for the trustee's, directing party's, or trust protector's personal benefit may exercise the power only in accordance with an ascertainable standard.
701.0814(2)(b)
(b) A trustee, directing party, or trust protector may not exercise a power to make discretionary distributions to satisfy a legal obligation of support that the trustee, directing party, or trust protector personally owes another person.
701.0814(3)
(3) A power whose exercise is limited or prohibited by
sub. (2) may be exercised by a majority of the remaining trustees, directing parties, or trust protectors whose exercise of the power is not so limited or prohibited. If the power of all trustees, directing parties, or trust protectors is so limited or prohibited, the court may appoint a trustee, directing party, or trust protector with authority to exercise the power.
701.0814(4)
(4) Subsection (2) does not apply to any of the following:
701.0814(4)(a)
(a) A power held by the settlor's spouse who is the trustee, directing party, or trust protector of a trust for which a marital deduction, as defined in section
2056 (b) (5) or
2523 (e) of the Internal Revenue Code, was previously allowed.
701.0814(4)(b)
(b) A trust during a period when the trust may be revoked or amended by its settlor.
701.0814(4)(c)
(c) A trust if contributions to the trust qualify for the annual exclusion under section
2503 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code.
701.0814 History
History: 2013 a. 92.
701.0815
701.0815
General powers of trustee. 701.0815(1)
(1) A trustee, without authorization by the court, may exercise the following powers:
701.0815(1)(b)
(b) Except as limited by the terms of the trust, all of the following powers:
701.0815(1)(b)1.
1. All powers over the trust property that an unmarried, competent owner has over individually owned property.
701.0815(1)(b)2.
2. Any other powers appropriate to achieve the proper investment, management, and distribution of the trust property.
701.0815(2)
(2) The exercise of a power is subject to the fiduciary duties prescribed by this chapter.
701.0815 History
History: 2013 a. 92.
701.0816
701.0816
Specific powers of trustee. Without limiting the authority conferred by
s. 701.0815, a trustee may do all of the following:
701.0816(1)
(1) Collect trust property and accept or reject additions to the trust property from a settlor or any other person.
701.0816(2)
(2) Acquire or sell property, for cash or on credit, at public or private sale.
701.0816(3)
(3) Exchange, partition, or otherwise change the character of trust property.
701.0816(4)
(4) Deposit trust money in an account in a regulated financial-service institution.
701.0816(5)
(5) Borrow money, with or without security, and mortgage or pledge trust property for a period within or extending beyond the duration of the trust.
701.0816(6)
(6) With respect to an interest in a proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or other form of business or enterprise, continue the business or other enterprise and take any action that may be taken by shareholders, members, or property owners, including merging, dissolving, or otherwise changing the form of business organization or contributing additional capital.
701.0816(7)
(7) With respect to a stock or other security, exercise the rights of an absolute owner, including the right to do any of the following:
701.0816(7)(a)
(a) Vote, or give proxies to vote, with or without power of substitution, or enter into or continue a voting trust agreement.
701.0816(7)(b)
(b) Hold a stock or other security in the name of a nominee or in other form without disclosure of the trust so that title may pass by delivery.
701.0816(7)(c)
(c) Pay calls, assessments, and other sums chargeable or accruing against the stock or other security, and sell or exercise stock subscription or conversion rights.
701.0816(7)(d)
(d) Deposit the stock or other security with a depository or other regulated financial-service institution.
701.0816(8)
(8) With respect to an interest in real property, construct, or make ordinary or extraordinary repairs to, alterations to, or improvements in, buildings or other structures, demolish improvements, raze existing or erect new party walls or buildings, subdivide or develop land, dedicate land to public use or grant public or private easements, and make or vacate plats and adjust boundaries.
701.0816(9)
(9) Enter into a lease for any purpose as lessor or lessee, including a lease or other arrangement for exploration and removal of natural resources, with or without the option to purchase or renew, for a period within or extending beyond the duration of the trust.
701.0816(10)
(10) Grant an option involving a sale, lease, or other disposition of trust property or acquire an option for the acquisition of property, including an option exercisable beyond the duration of the trust, and exercise an option so acquired.
701.0816(11)
(11) Insure the property of the trust against damage or loss and insure the trustee, the trustee's agents, any directing party, any trust protector, and the beneficiaries against liability arising from the administration of the trust.
701.0816(12)
(12) Abandon or decline to administer property of no value or of insufficient value to justify its collection or continued administration.
701.0816(13)
(13) With respect to possible liability for violation of environmental law, do any of the following:
