Administer Your Trusts or Estate

Choose our team as a fiduciary advisor for estate and financial planning affairs and as a portfolio manager over diverse assets including real estate. We tailor each relationship to address your core objectives and concerns, as well as specific planning matters. Having Bell Bank Wealth Management act as your fiduciary helps guard your legacy to facilitate tax savings, protect assets and offer greater financial security, while preserving important family relationships.

Services

• Estate planning – Family and personal considerations require an individualized approach, weighing many factors. Careful planning helps you make sure your assets are distributed as you intend, helping prepare for your family’s financial security, secure necessary asset management for beneficiaries and save on estate settlement costs and taxes. Our wealth and fiduciary advisors will be happy to assist you in implementing an estate plan suitable to your situation.
• Administration of trusts – Bell is an excellent choice to serve as a corporate trustee if you are considering a living trust or testamentary trust. We can also serve as a successor trustee for others named as trustee.
• Investment management – We manage clients’ securities, real estate and unique assets in a “quarterback” role.
• Business succession guidance, estate planning review and coordination – We coordinate with your legal and tax advisors; our team does not replace clients’ existing advisors, but rather serves as fiduciary advisors.
• Custom financial planning – We help develop a plan for sufficient income and cash flow management, wealth preservation and distribution planning.

Work with Bell's wealth and fiduciary advisors to periodically review your estate, trusts and assets in conjunction with any changes in your circumstances and objectives.

By serving as a personal representative for an estate, our team will properly inventory, value and distribute according to the decedent’s wishes. As conservator, we protect and manage the assets of an individual who can no longer manage their own financial affairs.

Conservatorship Services (incapacity):

• Protect and manage assets
• Collect income and pay monthly expenses
• Work with guardian regarding individual’s needs
• Assist with the management of real estate and personal property

Estate Services (after death):

An executor collects assets, pays debts and distributes the remainder to heirs. In an estate of even modest proportions, the executor must:

• Notify all appropriate heirs and beneficiaries
• Locate, inventory and safeguard estate assets
• Provide continuing management for income-producing interests
• Pay legitimate claims of creditors and administration expenses
• Collect debts owed
• Sell estate property on advantageous terms
• Assume responsibility for tax returns
• Keep detailed records of all income, expenses and transactions
• Distribute the estate in accordance with the provisions in the Will

Bell Bank Wealth Management's philanthropic solutions team helps nonprofits, foundations and endowments by serving as a corporate trustee or as an agent for nonprofits, endowments and foundations. Our team can help your organization through services including:

• Investment management
• Development and maintenance of a customized investment policy
• Liquidation of donated assets (including real estate, farmland, publicly traded securities and unique assets)
• Administration of grant money
• Disbursement, custody and recordkeeping for regulatory purposes
• Guidance on charitable giving and planned giving strategies
• Serving as an extension of your board and/or finance committee

Plan now for a secure retirement. See if an IRA is the right plan for you. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) help clients plan for a secure stream of retirement income. If you have changed jobs, retired or need to consolidate retirement funds, a rollover into an IRA can provide you with important investment and tax benefits.

• If you have retired or undergone a job change, we can help you evaluate whether rolling your existing retirement funds from your previous employment into an IRA is the right choice for you. A direct rollover to an IRA provides you with important benefits:
  • No immediate taxes or penalties
  • Continued tax-deferred investment returns
  • Expanded investment choices

Our Services

• Establish new IRAs – including Traditional and Roth
• Tax-deferred method of saving
• Continued tax-deferred investment returns
• Expanded investment choices

When you open an IRA with us, you'll receive additional benefits as well:

• Personal consultations on new IRAs, rollovers and consolidating accounts
• Asset allocation and investment management by our investment management team
• Open architecture providing you access to a wide range of securities
• Credentialed professionals who are accessible – we actually answer the phone!