Serving You and Your Beneficiaries

Diversified Trust is a comprehensive and independent alternative to the traditional bank and brokerage company trustee options.

Diversified Trust is one of the largest independent trust companies headquartered in the Southeast. We work with your existing tax, legal, and other professional advisors to help address pertinent planning issues. Our trust powers allow us to serve you and your beneficiaries in various fiduciary capacities for trusts, estates and conservatorships. Our clients can expect dependable service and continuity of client service personnel rarely enjoyed in the trust services industry.

Why Hire a Trustee

The selection of a trustee or executor is an important consideration in the establishment of an estate plan. These fiduciary roles require competence in multiple areas including knowledge of current local state and federal laws, consideration of income, gift, estate, and generation skipping tax laws, and sophisticated investment management.

The Fiduciary's Role

A fiduciary must exercise prudent judgment in accordance with your instructions, maintain good communication with your beneficiaries, and provide dependable service and continuity of client service personnel. We provide customized, individual solutions for every client.

Trustee Services

We understand that making the right choice for trustee involves different issues for everyone.

Diversified Trust does not align ourselves with a “one size fits all” approach to the selection of a trustee or co-trustee. We serve as trustee of a broad range of trusts including revocable living trusts, marital and credit shelter trusts, generation-skipping and dynasty trusts, charitable trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, GRATs and irrevocable grantor trusts, among others.

We provide prudent and efficient administration of the trusts identified above. Each trust is unique and attention to the details of a respective trust is a hallmark of our service.

Our Trust Services Include:
  • Integration of trusts into a broader wealth management plan
  • A sophisticated, widely diversified investment platform
  • Personalized communication with beneficiaries
  • Dependable and consistent service

Providing fiduciary, investment management and wealth management services is our only business.

Estate Settlement Services

We manage all aspects of estate settlement including serving as executor, co-executor and/or as a custodian for an estate.

Our Estate Settlement Services include:

Administrative Services
  • Payment of funeral expenses, debts and administration expenses
  • Notice to creditors, review claims filed against estate, payment of valid claims, contest invalid claims
  • Coordination of tax filings and probate filings with third parties
  • Inventory, safekeeping and custody of estate assets
  • Collection of debts owed to decedent
  • Collection of income and distribution of income earned by estate to beneficiaries
  • Distribute estate
Valuation Services
  • Valuation of publicly-traded stocks, bonds, partnership interests, mutual fund shares, etc., on the date of death and the alternate valuation date
  • Coordinate appraisals for real estate, closely-held business interests and tangible personal property
Tax Services
  • Coordinate with accountant for preparation and filing of final income tax return
  • Coordinate with accountant for preparation of fiduciary income tax return
  • Participate in audit process if estate is audited by Federal or State officials
Investment Management Services
  • Review of overall allocation of estate assets
  • Assessment of tax considerations for estate assets
  • Maintain prudent investment of assets during estate administration period
  • Liquidation of assets if necessary to satisfy tax liabilities
Custodial and Accounting Services For Estate Assets
  • Establish and maintain estate account
  • Registration of securities into name of the estate
  • Processing and reporting of income received on estate assets
  • Allocation of receipts between income and principal

Client Q&A

Are the assets I receive from an estate taxable?

The answer is no.  However, some assets carry out income which will be taxable to you when received.

How long does probate take?

The answer to this question is, it varies.  For example, in Tennessee, some estates can close in 6 or 7 months but others may take up to 2 years.  Timing is dependent upon the complexity of the estate.