How to Access a Family Trust

A family trust lets you dispense your assets to anyone you believe should gain access to them. To get a copy of a trust document, call your attorney. Because a family trust fund is not processed by the probate courts, you are not required to submit a family trust document to your county Recording Office.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find the name of the trust at the heading of the document. An example of a heading would be "The Michael S. Howard Trust Fund."

    • 2

      Find out who the trust's grantors are. They are the people who made the trust fund. A trustee successor is someone who inherits a family trust once the trust grantor dies. The family trust must specify the trust grantor as well as the successor.

    • 3

      Go through the trust's assets. An asset is something that can be exchanged for money. They can include precious metals, cars, or bank accounts.

    • 4

      Find the people and groups that gain from the family trust. For example if John dies, his son will be the owner of the family trust's assets. A recipient of a family trust often is a non-profit group or a minor.

    • 5

      Follow the family trust's directions on how to access it. A trust grantor may put in an age requirement for when the recipient can access the trust fund or make the trust fund available once the recipient completes his/her college degree.