Understanding Asset Protection Trusts in Texas

How an Asset Protection Trust Works

Spendthrift provisions protect trust assets from claims of creditors.

These provisions prevent the beneficiary of a trust from selling, assigning, or otherwise transferring their interest in trust assets to a third party. They also prevent the beneficiary from using their inheritance as collateral for a loan.

As a result, they add a layer of protection that prevents creditors from forcing the Trustee of the spendthrift trust to turn over trust assets to satisfy a judgment or a claim.

Can I Create an Asset Protection Trust for Myself in Texas?

Some states and foreign countries permit individuals to create asset protection trusts for their own benefit. However, the general rule in Texas is that person creating the trust (the “settlor”) can not get spendthrift protection if he creates the trust for his own benefit.

The rationale for the rule is obvious. Texas does not want bad actors to escape their creditors’ claims by creating asset protection trusts for themselves.

However, amendments the Texas Legislature made to the spendthrift statute in 2013 may have created a back door to creating a self-settled asset protection trust.

Spendthrift Protection for Trust Property Appointed Back to Settlor

Section 112.035 (d)(2) of the Texas Property Code summarizes the general rule that asset protection does not apply to the settlor if he is the beneficiary of a trust he creates. However, it includes an exception to the general rule.

Specifically, if the settlor becomes a beneficiary of the trust solely by virtue of the exercise of a power of appointment by a third party, then his interest in the trust will be protected from creditors.

A power of appointment is essentially a power to decide how to dispose of the property in the trust. It allows the power holder to direct who should receive the trust assets. A settlor can grant someone a limited or general power of appointment. A limited power of appointment limits the class of potential recipients to whom the power holder can appoint the property. A general power of appointment does not. Additionally, settlors can specify whether the power holder can exercise the power during his life, or only at death.

For example, suppose a settlor creates a trust to benefit his brother and grants his brother a power of appointment. The settlor can limit the power of appointment, requiring that his brother exercise it in favor of the settlor or his descendants. If his brother exercises the power of appointment in favor of an asset protection trust for the settlor, the resulting trust would receive protection from creditors. This would be true even though the settlor created the original trust.

Spendthift Trust Protection for Irrevocable Trusts Created for a Spouse

Remember the general rule is that a settlor cannot create an asset protection trust for his own benefit. But section 112.035(g) provides that a person is not considered a settlor in certain situations.

Specifically, sections 112.035(g)(1)-(2) of the statute provide that a person is not considered to be a settlor of an irrevocable trust created for the settlor’s spouse when the settlor becomes the beneficiary of the trust after the spouse’s death.

This section seems to allow a husband to create an irrevocable asset protection trust during his life for his wife. The trust could provide that if the wife predeceases him, all assets in the trust would pass to the husband in an asset protection trust. During his wife’s life, assets in the trust would receive protection from creditors. The husband would indirectly benefit from any distributions to his wife. If his wife predeceases him, assets that pass to him in trust after her death would receive protection from creditor claims. This can happen even though the husband originally created the trust for his wife.

Spendthrift Protection for Reciprocal Spousal Trusts and General Power of Appointment Trusts

Additionally, Section 112.035(g)(3)(A) says that for purposes of the spendthrift trust statute, a beneficiary of a asset protection trust created by a spouse will not be considered to be the settlor of the trust even if the beneficiary has also created a trust for the other spouse.

In other words, the statute seems to suggest that spouses could partition their property such that each spouse owns 50 percent of the property as his or her separate property. They could then each a create asset protection trust for each other’s benefit, thereby shielding all their assets.

Doing this is not advisable in situations where estate taxes are a concern because the IRS will disregard reciprocal trusts for transfer tax purposes. But for couples who don’t have estate tax concerns, this may provide a means of achieving asset protection in Texas.

Spendthrift Protection for General Power of Appointment Trusts

Finally, Section 112.035(g)(3)(B) provides that for purposes of the spendthrift trust statute, a person would not be considered a settlor to the extent that the property of the trust was subject to a general power of appointment in another person.

This suggests that a settlor can create a trust for a beneficiary, even someone who is not his spouse, and grant a third party a general power of appointment. If the third party exercises the power of appointment in favor of an asset protection trust for the settlor, the resulting trust would be protected from creditors’ claims. This would be the case even though the settlor created the original trust.

Some Caveats for Married Couples

A settlor must fund a trust for a spouse with separate property assets. This means spouses would need to partition community property. Partitioning community property has serious ramifications. Fifty percent of first marriages end in divorce, and the divorce rate for subsequent marriages is higher. When you partition assets and transfer them to an irrevocable trust for your spouse, you can’t take those assets back.

The same goes for irrevocable trusts created for any other beneficiary. When you transfer assets to an irrevocable trust, they are no longer yours. You should not give away assets you might need in the future for your own support.

Other Caveats….

Giving someone a general power of appointment is risky. It gives the power holder enormous power to dispose of the assets as they wish. Additionally, assets subject to a general power of appointment would be included in the power holder’s estate when he or she dies. This means someone granted a general power of appointment must be willing to use some of his or her estate tax exemption to help the settlor achieve his asset protection goals.

Grantors should not transfer assets to an irrevocable trust as a means to avoid the claims of creditors. Irrevocable trusts will not be effective to shield a settlor’s assets from persons or other entities who currently have a claim against the settlor.

Asset Protection Without an Asset Protection Trust

Texas law already provides a good deal of asset protection for certain types of assets even without going through the trouble of creating a trust. For more information read: What Assets Are Protected From Creditors In Texas?

For additional protection, it is always wise to ensure you have adequate automobile and home insurance, as well as an umbrella policy. Creating an LLC and observing corporate formalities will protect your personal assets from business liabilities.

And finally, this is a relatively new statute. I could not find any case law elaborating on it. I discussed it with a colleague who reviewed the legislative history on the bill and found that there was no explanation or discussion of subsection (g) in the record that is of note. So while the statute seems to create a back door to a self-settled asset protection trust, we currently have no guidance on how it will develop.

This article was originally posted on May 17, 2019, and updated on May 2, 2023.