Book Guiding Trustees

Christopher P. Cline (Wells Fargo Regional Wealth Management Director for Oregon and SW Washington) recently published his book entitled The Law of Trustee Investments (ABA 2009). 

A description of the book is below:

This book takes a very practical approach to the question that should be asked by every trustee, especially non-professional trustees: How do I fulfill my fiduciary duties to the trust beneficiaries (and thereby avoid liability for failure to do so) in determining how to invest the trust assets? The book begins with an in-depth introduction to investment basics, examines such issues as the law of diversification and the prudent investor act standard, explores how to determine breach and damages, and explains the effects of principal and income acts on investing. It concludes by addressing the drafting of an investment plan by the trustee, a key topic because under the UPIA a fiduciary is judged not on his or her actual investment performance, but rather on the appropriateness of the investment plan. This chapter provides practical guidelines for newly-appointed trustees on how to develop such a plan, including specific comments directed to life insurance trusts, where a life insurance policy is usually the primary investment. Appendices offer sample trust investment language and an investment plan flow chart.