What is a trust map?

A trust map is a visual summary of the people, assets, and instructions in a trust document, with citations back to the document.

See what it does for familiesFor attorneys and advisors

An example map

Here is what a trust map looks like.

This is the real map, drawn from a fictional family trust.

Example trust map for a fictional family trust. What it holds lists 7 assets, Rules shows 6 rules, and Who receives lists 7 people. Lines run from each asset to the rule that moves it, and from each rule to the people who receive it. The last rule, If no descendants, applies only if no descendants are living, so its line is dashed.
Example trust map for a fictional family trust. Every name, account, and rule on it is invented.

Where it comes from

The document supplies the map.

The map reads your trust, and every part of it links back to the words it came from.

The trust document supplies the map.
TrustHelm reads the agreement and records the people, the assets, and the instructions it finds, so the map starts from what the grantors signed.
Citations take you back to the source.
A citation names the document, the section, and the page, and opens the passage behind it, so you can read the wording for yourself.
No passage means no citation.
A provision with no verified passage shows no citation at all. TrustHelm does not borrow a citation from another item or write a locator it has not read.
The document is not the law.
A statement in the trust says what the grantors wanted. What the law requires of you is a separate question, and your attorney advises you about it.
A summary is not a legal opinion.
The map reports what your document says. It does not tell you what the law requires, and it does not replace your attorney.

What it shows

The map draws the main ways assets move.

A picture of the trust at a glance, not the whole trust.

In the example above, the trust supplies 6 provisions, and the map draws 6 rules. A trust can supply more.

The map shows at most 9 asset-moving rules for one stage. It never draws every provision in your trust.

This map shows the main ways your assets move. Your trust may say more, so check the full list of provisions.

The full list stays in the trust map. The control under the rule column reads See all 6 provisions for this example, and it opens every provision the trust supplies.

Who it is for

Families, and the professionals who work with them.

The map answers the question every family asks about a trust: what does this trust actually do?

For families

If you made the trust and still run it, the map shows what the trust holds, what the document says to do with it, and who receives it.

See TrustHelm for families

For professionals

If you are an attorney, CPA, financial advisor, or insurance agent, TrustHelm keeps every client trust in one place and tracks the funding work and the duties each state requires.

See TrustHelm for professionals

The trust map is rolling out inside the app and is not available to every account yet.

FAQ

Common questions.

A trust map is a visual summary of the people, assets, and instructions in a trust document, with citations back to the document. It draws what the trust holds on one side, what the document says to do with it in the middle, and who receives it on the other.

Start with the trust you already have.

Upload the agreement and see the people, assets, and duties in it.

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