Helping you decide who should take over
Fiduciary Services
Every plan eventually hands the job to someone else. We help you weigh a family member against a licensed professional fiduciary, and connect you with trusted fiduciaries in the Valley if a professional is your choice.
Someone Has to Take Over
A well-prepared will names a personal representative to settle the estate after death. A trust names a successor trustee who can step in during incapacity and after death. When the time comes, that person takes on a real legal job: paying final bills, filing tax returns, managing and distributing assets, and answering to your beneficiaries. Most families name a spouse or an adult child. For some families, a licensed professional fiduciary is the better fit.
RJP does not serve as your fiduciary, and we will not make this decision for you. Our role is to help you understand the choice clearly, so you can decide for yourself.
Two Different Meanings of Fiduciary
The word fiduciary gets used two different ways, and the difference matters. Our financial advisors act as fiduciaries when they give investment advice, which means they are legally required to put your interests first. That is the financial meaning, and it applies to the advice side of our firm every day. This page is about the other meaning: the legal representative fiduciary, the person or entity named in your documents to administer your trust or estate after death or incapacity. Arizona licenses the professionals who offer this service to the public; a family member you name can generally serve without a license. Either way, it is a role RJP does not fill.
Questions Worth Asking Yourself
There is no single right answer, and no one can make this choice for you. These are the considerations families typically weigh.
- Willingness and time, whether the person you have in mind wants the job and has the hours it demands
- Family dynamics, whether naming one family member over another could create friction a neutral professional would avoid
- Complexity, whether your estate includes a business, out-of-state property, or investments that need ongoing management
- Cost, professional fiduciaries charge fees, while family members often serve without them
- Backups, what happens if your first choice cannot serve when the time comes
What We Do
Our part is education and preparation, not the decision itself. Here is what that looks like in practice.
- Plain-language guidance, walking you through what each option would mean for your family, so you can decide with confidence
- Trusted introductions, if you choose a professional, connecting you with licensed Arizona fiduciaries in the Valley whom we know and trust
- Documents that reflect your choice, preparing the trust or will that names who serves, with backups in case they cannot
Why Families Choose RJP
Attorney-Drafted, Advisor-Guided
A licensed Arizona estate planning attorney drafts the legal documents while our advisory team handles the prep, the conversation, and the follow-up. You only pay attorney rates for actual legal work, which is why our clients typically pay about half of what a traditional law firm charges.
Lifetime Reviews, Included
We review your plan every three to five years and update it whenever Arizona law changes. No hourly clock, no surprise invoice.
Settlement Support for Your Family
When the time comes, our team sits down with your loved ones and walks them through the entire settlement process at no extra charge. No other firm in Arizona includes this.
Your First Step Starts Here
At our live, free estate planning seminars across Phoenix and Tucson, we walk you through how to protect you and your loved ones from probate. We give you a step-by-step plan that's simple and clear. Sign up today for peace of mind tomorrow.
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From the Blog
- Successor Trustee & Trust Administration in Arizona: The Complete Guide
What a trustee does, why naming the right one matters, and when a professional makes more sense than family.
- Spendthrift & Asset-Protection Trusts in Arizona: The Complete Guide
Trusts that often require a professional trustee to administer correctly.
- What Happens to Your Family Without an Estate Plan in Arizona
When no trustee is named and no plan exists, the court appoints a public fiduciary.
Glossary
- Fiduciary Duty
The legal obligation to act in another person's best interest, with loyalty, care, and full disclosure.
- Successor Trustee
The person or entity that takes over trust administration when the original trustee can no longer serve.
- Trustee
The person or entity legally responsible for managing trust assets according to the trust instructions.
- Personal Representative
The court-appointed person or entity responsible for administering an estate through probate.
- Public Fiduciary
A county-appointed fiduciary who serves when no family member or private fiduciary is available.
- Prudent Investor Rule
The legal standard a fiduciary must meet when investing trust or estate assets.