What You Can and Can’t Do with the Trust You Inherited
From The Death Readiness Podcast: Not your dad’s estate planning podcast by Jill Mastroianni - Estate Planning & Probate Attorney/Lawyer for Women
March 31, 2026 · 15 min · Episode 72
About this episode
This episode discusses the complexities of managing inherited trusts and the tools available for estate planning.
Can you stop your child from inheriting money, even if the trust says they should? In this estate planning episode, we walk through a real-life scenario where a mother is trying to protect her son from receiving a large inheritance at the wrong time. Along the way, we break down how estate planning tools like trusts actually work in real life, what trustees can and can’t do, and why you can’t simply “use up” a trust to avoid passing money on. We also introduce a powerful (and often overlooked) tool, a power of appointment, that might allow you to adjust what happens next, even when a trust is irrevocable. Because sometimes the plan is set… but not completely locked.
People in this episode
Host: Jill Mastroianni
Topics covered
- estate planning
- trusts
- inheritance
- power of appointment
- trustees
- financial protection
Keywords
- inheritance
- trusts
- estate planning
- power of appointment
- trustees
- financial protection
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