Montclair Fiduciary and Planning Advisors, LLC (MFPA), was established by Kathleen E. Segal to provide professional trust expertise, planning and administration to individuals and families.  Kathy works directly with clients and their advisors on developing essential fiduciary strategies, overseeing their implementation, and subsequently carrying out the terms of the trusts or other legal structures that have been created to meet each family’s specific needs and objectives.

Licensed professional fiduciaries are an important independent alternative to the traditional choice between family member trustees and corporate trustees.  Through MFPA, Kathy Segal brings her clients over three decades of experience in planning and administering trusts.  From its inception, MFPA’s mission has been to provide a highly personalized approach to professional trust administration for individuals and families as they experience life’s transitions.  
 
MFPA’s services are not limited to any specific type of client, or level of net worth.  Instead, there are several key areas where Kathy’s professional experience is most helpful.  In these cases, she is able to utilize her skills to help avoid family conflicts and alleviate the burden of a trust's complex responsibilities.  
 

1.     As a Trustee, Successor Trustee or Co-Trustee, Kathy will work with a surviving spouse, partner, or child who is uncomfortable with the responsibilities involved with managing a trust on their own.  She will fulfill all fiduciary duties and perform all of the administrative tasks, ranging from tax filings and bill paying to financial reporting and oversight of investment management.

2.     Kathy has extensive experience acting as the independent trust professional where family members would not be a good choice for the role.  This may be due to the lack of appropriate skills, or the potential for conflict with siblings or other relatives.  This situation is often found in sensitive blended family situations.  It is also frequently encountered where a particular beneficiary needs specialized supervision or support, and the appointment of a family member would result in unwanted burdens or conflicts. 

3.     She also has the ability to serve as trustee on specialized trust structures.  Such trusts include Blind Trusts, Spendthrift Trusts, Life Insurance Trusts and Supplemental Needs Trusts.  In addition, Kathy can act in the more limited capacity of Trust Protector, where such a role is called for in the trust.

4.     Finally she will serve as an Agent under a Durable Power of Attorney.  Kathy welcomes the opportunity to serve in this capacity for individuals who are not comfortable selecting family members or friends to perform that role due to geographic limitations, the lack of appropriate skills, or the potential for conflict with other parties. 


For more information on MFPA services, please contact Kathy Segal at 510-333-7757 or ksegalctfa@cs.com.