Wis. Stat. § 701.1311 — WI Code / Chapter 701 / Section 701.1311
Decanting power under expanded distributive discretion.
Status: in_force

(1) In this section:

(a) “Noncontingent right” means a right that is not subject to the exercise of discretion or the occurrence of a specified event that is not certain to occur. The term does not include a right held by a beneficiary if any person has discretion to distribute property subject to the right to any person other than the beneficiary or the beneficiary’s estate.

(b) “Successor beneficiary” means a beneficiary that is not a qualified beneficiary on the date the beneficiary’s qualification is determined. The term does not include a person that is a beneficiary only because the person holds a nongeneral power of appointment.

(c) “Vested interest” means any of the following:

1. A right to a mandatory distribution that is a noncontingent right as of the date of the exercise of the decanting power.

2. A current and noncontingent right, annually or more frequently, to a mandatory distribution of income, a specified dollar amount, or a percentage of value of some or all of the trust property.

3. A current and noncontingent right, annually or more frequently, to withdraw income, a specified dollar amount, or a percentage of value of some or all of the trust property.

4. A presently exercisable general power of appointment.

5. A right to receive an ascertainable part of the trust property on the trust’s termination that is not subject to the exercise of discretion or to the occurrence of a specified event that is not certain to occur.

(2) Subject to sub. (3) and s. 701.1314 , an authorized fiduciary that has expanded distributive discretion over the principal of a first trust for the benefit of one or more current beneficiaries may exercise the decanting power over the principal of the first trust.

(3) Subject to s. 701.1313 , in an exercise of the decanting power under this section, a 2nd trust may not do any of the following:

(a) Include as a current beneficiary a person that is not a current beneficiary of the first trust, except as otherwise provided in sub. (4) .

(b) Include as a presumptive remainder beneficiary or successor beneficiary a person that is not a current beneficiary, presumptive remainder beneficiary, or successor beneficiary of the first trust, except as otherwise provided in sub. (4) .

(c) Reduce or eliminate a vested interest.

(d) Fail to be a trust described in 42 USC 1396p (d) (4) (A) or (C) if the first trust is a trust described in 42 USC 1396p (d) (4) (A) or (C).

(4) Subject to sub. (3) (c) and s. 701.1314 , in an exercise of the decanting power under this section, a 2nd trust may be a trust created or administered under the law of any jurisdiction and may do any of the following:

(a) Retain a power of appointment granted in the first trust.

(b) Omit a power of appointment granted in the first trust, other than a presently exercisable general power of appointment.

(c) Create or modify a power of appointment if the powerholder is a current beneficiary of the first trust and the authorized fiduciary has expanded distributive discretion to distribute principal to the beneficiary.

(d) Create or modify a power of appointment if the powerholder is a presumptive remainder beneficiary or successor beneficiary of the first trust, but the exercise of the power may take effect only after the powerholder becomes, or would have become if then living, a current beneficiary.

(5) A power of appointment described in sub. (4) (a) to (d) may be general or nongeneral. The class of permissible appointees in favor of which the power may be exercised may be broader than or different from the beneficiaries of the first trust.

(6) If an authorized fiduciary has expanded distributive discretion over part but not all of the principal of a first trust, the fiduciary may exercise the decanting power under this section over that part of the principal over which the authorized fiduciary has expanded distributive discretion.

History: 2023 a. 127 .