Definition of Terms

In a trust (Michigan) i\'m the beneficiary of income, with the principal to be used according to the following phrase: \"If at any time the net income of this trust, together with such other income as may be available, shall be insufficient for her proper support, maintenance and welfare, the Trustees
are authorized to pay to or use and expend for her benefit so much of the
principal of the trust, even to the exhaustion thereof, as in the sole and
uncontrolled discretion of the Trustees is deemed necessary for such
purpose.\"

Are there any standard definitions attached to \"support, maintenance and welfare\" or \"benefit\"?

Presently I am a Trustee, with a Corporate Trustee and another Trustee for a total of three trustees.

Thanks

[annjd]

No one definition.

It would normally mean her basic needs at her current level of living standard--such as housing, food and health care, and not other luxuries etc.

Why, what is the actual issue?

Not a bad issue to have --

The trust principal has gotten very large, but according to the particular structure of the trust the trust will not be concluded, and the principal will not be distributed until 21 years after my death. Say, 40-50 years from now. Currently it is 14million, and I'm not sure I want to drop that much on that generation -- my daughter w/ 3 kids intends to give her income away, and my son w no kids is doing quite well on his own. So I'd like to be able to do more with the principal than just make more money.

There was a series of trusts; the parts that affected my sister and I were the only parts that didn't have some aspect of principal distribution -- several deaths occurred very close together --

so things didn't come together consistently and there may be some wiggle room as far as interpretation

what i'm looking for is access to some of the principle to set up charitable foundation/s or help other family members now, when they need it, not 50 years from now when they won't

thanks for any thoughts