Trust Services

Managing your wealth, one generation at a time.

Whether it's identifying estate planning needs, administering trusts or providing advisory services to help transition your legacy, we're here with the solutions you need.

A dedicated team of Prosperity Bank specialists will get to know you and your specific needs. The personal attention you receive will help you grow and protect your wealth, giving you the peace of mind to focus on what really matters to you.

Generations of families have relied on Prosperity Bank to manage assets and provide property administration. Today, your asset management needs may be quite sophisticated and your beneficiary relationship complex. More than ever, you need an experienced fiduciary.

Prosperity Trust Investment Philosophy

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy has stayed consistent since the department was founded. The fiduciary capacity in which we serve our clients requires that we invest every dollar prudently. While our clients have different risk tolerances and financial objectives we strive to meet their needs while taking as little risk as possible, even in "aggressive" portfolios.

Our philosophy and primary goals are:

(1) preservation of capital;

(2) provision for adequate liquidity given the client's cash flow needs, and

(3) capital appreciation on the investment given the client's risk tolerance.

We approach each account with a "goal based" analysis. We determine with you, the client, the primary objectives of each account, build a portfolio of fixed income, equity holdings and/or alternative investments that meet the agreed upon objective. Once the initial portfolio is constructed, Prosperity Bank Trust continuously monitors the account. Changes will be made as need arises to assure the goals for the portfolio are met. Periodic meetings with you will be scheduled to report results and insure that objectives for the account are in line with account structure. We have a conservative philosophy concerning credit and market risk; our investments are stringently managed to meet fiduciary responsibilities of our department and the many organizations, foundations, and charities we serve.

Our department uses low cost, non-proprietary, institutional class equity mutual funds. The institutional share classes have the lowest cost of any funds available. Typically the best performing funds lack 12(b)1 fees and hidden fees such as Sub TA that are buried in the prospectus. Prosperity Bank also has agreements in place with funds that are closed to new investors so our clients have access to certain funds that they would not otherwise have access to. On the fixed income side we prefer to use individual bonds bought directly from wholesale bond dealers. We pass these bonds into customer accounts without the mark up that you would find in the retail sector. With the volume of bond transactions we handle we often get favorable pricing compared to firms with lower volume. We find that holding individual high quality bonds allows the client to have greater control over duration, loss taking, and quality of the portfolio.

Features

• Trust and Estate Administration
• Retirement Planning
• Asset Management
• Asset Allocation Strategies (Prosperity Portfolios)

Trust and Estate Administration

Personal Trust

A trust is an effective tool for managing your assets during your lifetime and for the benefit of your loved ones after you are gone. A personal trust can hold and manage assets and pass those assets on to heirs as instructed, and can provide significant tax advantages to help you preserve those assets.

Our trust specialists at Prosperity Bank can help manage the following issues related to personal trusts:

• Taxation and legal matters
• Investment management
• Property management
• Mineral management
• Charitable contributions

By naming Prosperity Bank as your trustee, you and your beneficiaries will benefit from the knowledge and expertise our team will commit through specialized service.

Estates

Good estate planning uses a combination of products, services and advisors to help you incur minimum expenses and provide for your loved ones for the future. An important part of your estate planning is selecting a representative to settle your estate according to your intentions. Services we provide include:

• Collecting and valuing all the assets
• Filing any needed state and federal tax returns to include legally required reports to the court of record
• Paying claims and debts of the decedent
• Accounting to the heirs
• Distributing the net assets to the beneficiaries of the estate according to your wishes
• Serving as your executor to carry out the terms of the Will and settle the estate quickly, fairly and objectively

Prosperity Bank can also help beneficiaries revise their own financial plans once the assets have been distributed. Above all, family members can count on us to listen carefully, to explain complicated procedures, and to give personal attention to your situation.

Living Trusts

A Living or Grantor Trust is a valuable estate-planning tool that assures proper management of your assets during your lifetime. These come in many different forms and can be created to benefit you, your spouse, or other named individuals. And, if you choose, it can continue beyond your lifetime to provide for loved ones.

A Living or Grantor Trust can relieve you of investment chores, give you financial protection if you become ill or incapacitated for a prolonged period, and minimize delays and expenses at your death. Used wisely, it can reduce a couple’s estate tax bill and is commonly designed to avoid probate.

You have worked hard to acquire your assets. Let Prosperity Bank help make sure you maintain control, which will create peace of mind for the future. We can also help beneficiaries revise their own financial plans once the assets have been distributed. Above all, family members can count on us to listen carefully, to explain complicated procedures, and to give personal attention to your situation.

Special Needs Trusts

Special Needs Trusts are established to provide supplemental income to a disabled beneficiary while preserving government benefit eligibility. Government benefit recipients can retain only a minimum amount in assets.

Special Needs Trusts are designed to provide for additional needs such as:

• Out-of-pocket medical expenses
• Insurance
• Personal care attendant
• Support for life-enhancing services including education, recreation, living arrangements, and social services

As a trustee, the dedicated administrators at Prosperity Bank will work to meet the needs of your unique family dynamic while helping to maintain the integrity and optimal quality of life for the beneficiary.

Guardianships

Court-ordered guardianships protect the assets of those who are unable to handle their own financial responsibilities, typically children or disabled adults. A financial guardian is responsible for managing all assets in a prudent manner.

Prosperity Bank is an impartial and experienced provider of the following financial services:

• Paying bills and ongoing expenses
• Supervision of tax preparation
• Cash flow requirements and living expenses
• Manage all assets, including real estate
• Annual court-required accounting
• Collect, invest, and distribute income as necessary
• Coordinate medical insurance filings and expenditures for medical services and equipment

The professional staff at Prosperity Bank takes pride in a reputation of stability and integrity with the highest ethical standards when accepting the obligations required of a guardian.

Retirement Planning

Retirement planning is more than asset management. It is developing a plan for financial freedom. Many of us fear we will not have enough resources to provide for our lifetime. Investing for retirement with a customized combination of investment management and administrative services could make the difference in the comfort you enjoy the rest of your life.

Managed/Directed IRAs

For individuals who qualify, an IRA can defer taxes on interest and/or contributions. We offer various IRAs, including the option of a self-directed IRA. The IRAs offered in the Trust Department at Prosperity Bank are an alternative to traditional bank CDs. The IRAs can be invested in bonds, stocks, mutual funds and other investments. Based on your personal guidelines, we can assist you in developing a sound retirement strategy.

Employee Benefit Plans

Whatever the size of your company, you face great opportunities and great challenges in planning for retirement. Whether you are a business owner or self-employed, you need a vision and a plan for your retirement future. We can help you with that plan.

Prosperity Bank Trust Department offers a broad array of retirement products including 401(k) and profit-sharing plans designed for business owners and self-employed investors. Whether it's an existing plan converting to our platform or a brand new plan, we will be there from start to finish. 

Our Employee Benefit Specialist can help design a retirement plan that meets your needs along with a detailed list of services that makes our program unique:

• Prosperity Trust is named as a Corporate Trustee with asset custodial responsibilities, serving in a fiduciary capacity.
• Comprehensive recordkeeping and compliance (daily valuation, participant reporting, testing, IRS filing of 5500).
• Plan document preparation and ongoing support for plan restatements (the rules are constantly changing).
•  Employee communication programs. (required notices, SPD, on-site enrollment meetings, educational meetings, online access).
•  Investment Management and support (discretionary, fund menu & performance reporting, asset allocation models, target-date funds, self-directed brokerage option).
• Administrative support (payroll file submission, information reporting, plan review, a quarterly newsletter. Assist with plan sponsor duties).
• Fully transparent fee structure, no hidden fees.

Ours is a highly personalized one-on-one service that you can trust. Unlike other providers, we offer our clients a personal and dedicated service. Each plan is assigned a specialized team of individuals led by a Relationship Manager who oversees all phases of the relationship and provides personalized customer support. Our clients always have the same individual to call for assistance, someone who is familiar with their program and can provide strategic and consultative services.

Let us do a review of your current Plan. We will give you a no-obligation fair evaluation. Below are the documents we need:

• Summary Plan Description (SPD)
• Summary Annual Report (SAR)
• Annual Participant Disclosure Package
• 408(b)(2) Notice – (this shows who the Trustee, Record Keeper, (TPA), Investment Managers are, as well as other Plan fees

Asset Management

Customized Investment

Need help with your investments? It’s not unusual. It requires a great deal of time and expertise.

When setting your investment program, we first determine your financial goals and risk tolerance. With this understanding, we then develop investment guidelines for your approval.

Delivering comprehensive, risk-sensitive solutions for your asset management needs is what our team of skilled administrators strives to achieve for your benefit.

Farm Management

Once again, it never hurts to have a helping hand. We’ll help you manage your farm and ranch properties, giving you a source of income without the concerns of ongoing management.

• Periodic farm inspections
• Market crops
• Lease negotiations
• Attain farm operators, if necessary
• Regular communication with farm operators
• Review, execute and maintain compliance with USDA programs
• Collect land owner’s share of farm income
• Pay land owner’s share of operating expenses
• Pay property taxes
• Coordinate farm improvements, if necessary

Oil and Gas Management

Mineral interest management can be a time-consuming chore that requires knowledge of difficult terminology and procedures. The experts at Prosperity Bank can provide the following services to help ease the load:

• Receive and deposit production checks
• Monitor each property for missing and/or suspended production payments
• Review, verify and execute division orders
• Negotiation of lease terms and provisions
• Evaluation of property tax values and negotiation when necessary
• Payment of joint interest billing statements on working interest

Asset Allocation Strategies - Prosperity Portfolios

A popular investment option for accounts managed by the Prosperity Bank Trust Department is our suite of asset allocation strategies known as Prosperity Portfolios. Each asset allocation strategy has been identified by a specific strategy name to reflect the strategy’s investment objective.

The Prosperity Portfolios include strategies containing mutual funds arranged by class and style. These strategies help investors achieve specific long-term goals and objectives ranging from income plus moderate growth to, more aggressive capital appreciation.

Our Asset Allocation Strategies receive ongoing monitoring from our expert portfolio managers. They select the funds and make specific asset allocations for enhanced levels of diversification. These strategies offer:

• Reinvestment of dividends and capital gains
• Convenient to invest additional money
• Liquidity for withdrawals
• Simplified statements for a quick review

The Prosperity Asset Allocation Strategy styles include, but are not limited to the following: