Sometimes, trusts include instructions about health care and education of beneficiaries. Trustees often have big jobs. If you appoint them to look out for and educate small children, the task easily can last for 20 or 25 years. If trustees care for disabled adults, the trust may continue as long as the beneficiary's life. Still, in the debate pitting living trusts against wills, little is said about how to choose trustees.
Trustees are of two kinds.
One is a trust institution, usually a bank but occasionally freestanding. These businesses manage resources according to your instructions in a will or trust instrument. The other type includes individuals, such as relatives, clergy and friends. You can also appoint an individual to serve as co-trustee with a bank. You can have as many co-trustees as you wish, although large groups can be cumbersome.