Services
Superior Client Service Built With Expertise and Flexibility
Our role as a corporate fiduciary is to serve as a trusted steward—protecting your vision, managing your trust with integrity, and guiding every detail of its administration with care and precision. Whether we are administering a family legacy trust, managing unique assets, or supporting complex estate planning strategies, we act with the highest standard of fiduciary duty.
We work with settlors and beneficiaries and collaborate with their attorneys, accountants, investment managers, and other trusted professionals to deliver seamless trust administration across generations. Our services are built on a foundation of personal relationships, deep technical expertise, and an unwavering commitment to preserving your family’s values and priorities.
Our Fiduciary Roles
First Trust Company specializes in providing comprehensive trust and fiduciary administration and is equipped to serve in a variety of formal capacities—either as sole trustee, co-trustee, successor trustee, or agent. Each role is tailored to fit the complexity and objectives of your trust arrangement.
Discretionary and Directed Trusts
As a corporate trustee our role is to administer your trust in good faith.
First Trust Company brings disciplined oversight and experienced administration to both discretionary and directed trusts. In discretionary structures, we carefully evaluate distribution requests and apply a thoughtful review process that balances the needs of beneficiaries with the long-term intent of the trust. For directed trusts, we partner with appointed investment advisors and distribution advisors to administer the trust in strict accordance with its terms, while ensuring regulatory compliance and proper recordkeeping.
No matter the trust structure, we remain focused on transparency, fiduciary integrity, and personal service.
Unique Assets
Managing unique assets requires specialized expertise and a practical understanding of the underlying business or property. We possess extensive experience administering these assets and collaborate with clients to manage their complete portfolio. Our team is experienced in handling:
- Agricultural assets – including farmland and working ranches
- Mineral and royalty interests – oil, gas, and mineral income streams
- Closely held business interests – corporate governance, partnership interests, and succession planning
- Commercial and residential real estate – property management, valuation, and disposition strategy
We work closely with clients, advisors, and professional managers to preserve value, manage risk, and ensure these unique assets contribute meaningfully to the overall trust strategy.
ILIT Administration
An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (“ILIT”) can be used to minimize estate taxes by moving the proceeds of life insurance policies outside of your taxable estate, and can be a vital component of estate planning for high-net-worth families.
Our team ensures that premium obligations are met on time, policies remain in good standing, and administrative records are maintained accurately. We also assist in coordinating communication with life insurance carriers and legal advisors, so the ILIT operates in alignment with the settlor’s planning objectives.
Structured Settlement and Special Needs Trusts
Our team has expansive expertise in structured settlements, and we recognize that trusts for beneficiaries with special needs require an exceptional level of care, attention and sensitivity. We are here to provide structure and support while strategically guiding trust management.
Our role is to protect trust assets while ensuring that beneficiaries continue to qualify for public benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). We work closely with families and legal counsel to tailor trust administration to each individual’s circumstances—helping enhance quality of life while maintaining compliance with complex regulatory frameworks.
Personal Representative Services
We understand probate can be complex and serve in this role to ease the administrative burden on families, mitigate potential conflicts, and ensure that estate settlement proceeds smoothly and efficiently. Acting as Personal Representative requires a high degree of organization, impartiality, and fiduciary responsibility; from inventorying assets and paying debts to filing necessary tax returns and distributing remaining assets, we manage every aspect of the probate process with professionalism and care.
Charitable and Foundation Services
Charitable trusts are unique in that they combine meaningful philanthropy and wealth management.
First Trust Company administers charitable trusts and private foundations with a deep understanding of both the regulatory environment and the philanthropic vision of our clients. Offering objective, customized trustee services, we ensure that trust distributions comply with legal requirements while fulfilling the charitable mission outlined by the settlor. Whether managing grant-making strategies, overseeing tax filings, or coordinating with foundation boards, we approach every aspect of charitable administration with integrity and transparency.
A Collaborative, Technology-Driven Approach
At First Trust Company, we take pride in delivering fiduciary services that reflect our values: care, discretion, and excellence. We understand that behind every trust are the goals, priorities, and legacy of a family or individual—and we honor that trust with every decision we make.
Whether you need a fiduciary partner for a single trust, a complex estate structure, or the stewardship of unique assets, our experienced team is here to serve. We look forward to building a lasting relationship grounded in trust, collaboration, and expert guidance.