Conservator & Trustee Services
We provide attentive personal care and prudent financial management to clients under fiduciary standards of responsibility, transparency, confidentiality, and integrity.
Drawing on on considerable financial management and estate settlement experience, SM2 provides trustee, successor trustee, and executor services. From gathering assets to bill-paying to estate liquidation to estate disbursement, SM2 fiduciaries can be engaged to efficiently manage the entire process. McConnell and Maguire, who work closely with clients’ accountants and attorneys, are well versed in the legal and accounting complexities involved in trust management and settlement.
Requiring perhaps the highest level of responsibility and compassion, SM2 provides care for the individual in need. When asked to help people with limited decision-making capabilities, SM2 can manage living arrangements, personal health, medical treatment, and general welfare. These responsibilities require a very high level of understanding and empathy by the fiduciary. Decisions made by SM2 fiduciaries are always made with the utmost respect for the client.
SM2 fiduciaries can also serve as Special Needs Trust trustees or as guardians for minors or those with limited abilities. Services can range from personal to financial similar to those offered through Conservatorships-of-the-Person or Conservatorships-of-the-Estate.
With extensive investment advisory experience, SM2 fiduciaries can manage day-to-day financial decisions as well as long-term asset management. On behalf of clients, SM2 can manage cash flow, real estate, investments, insurance, tax accounting, and legal matters. SM2 fiduciaries can work with the client’s legal and accounting teams or with the firm’s selected professionals.
Power of Attorney (POA) gives a third party authority to act on behalf of someone who cannot act for themselves. A POA can be limited or general and can apply to financial, health care, or personal decision-making. A General Power of Attorney remains in effect until the individual becomes incapacitated while Durable Power of Attorney remains in effect until the individual dies. Either POA can be revoked.
SM2 Trust bills exclusively by the hour. The current hourly rates for licensed fiduciaries range from $150.00 – $290.00 and are dependent upon the task being performed. The hourly rates for unlicensed staff range from $75.00 – $120.00 and are dependent upon skill level and experience of the staff member performing the task. Detailed fee schedules are included in introductory packets provided during initial consultation meetings with prospective clients.
Our Story
SM2 Trust was founded by Shelley M. McConnell and Stephen P. Maguire to provide fiduciary services for clients on the Central Coast of California. A fiduciary, one to whom property or powers are entrusted for the exclusive benefit of another, is held to the highest legal and ethical standards of care and responsibility. A fiduciary can be entrusted with the obligation to manage financial assets, health care needs, quality-of-life considerations, and end-of-life decisions for individuals in need.
The State of California Department of Consumer Affairs licenses qualified individuals to provide these services on a fee basis. Under the fiduciary umbrella, SM2 offers trustee, conservator-of-the-person, conservator-of-the-estate, guardianship, and estate settlement capabilities for clients.
Shelley M. McConnell and Stephen P. Maguire are committed to honoring the abiding trust placed in SM2 by their cherished clients. SM2 fiduciaries adhere to a level of respect, responsibility, and integrity that will ensure the intentions and wishes of clients are carried out to the letter.
Methodology
Of paramount importance to the fiduciary is a complete and thorough understanding of the client’s wishes. Partners McConnell and Maguire begin by cultivating a deep understanding of the client’s wishes, expectations, hopes, dreams, and fears. Attention is paid to the personal, familial, and spiritual beliefs of the client. Above all, SM2 fiduciaries are charged with respecting the client’s wishes first and foremost.
SM2 will also work with family members, friends, attorneys, and religious leaders in an attempt to understand each individual client. Documents, such as trusts, wills, powers-of-attorney, and health care directives, also provide essential information in this process.
SM2 fiduciaries will include the client in as many decisions as can be accommodated while acting as non-invasively as possible. SM2 fiduciaries act exclusively in the best interest of both the client’s person and estate.
Mission Statement
SM2’s primary mission is to relieve their clients of burdens so they can live fulfilling lives in comfort and dignity. Shelley M. McConnell and Stephen P. Maguire do not take this mission lightly. Their personal belief is that by making a positive impact on clients’ lives, they will impact their own lives in positive and meaningful ways.
FAQ
FAQ
Answers to Your Conservator & Trustee Questions
A conservatorship is a legal proceeding where one person or entity, called the “conservator” is appointed by a judge to manage the affairs of another person called the “conservatee”.
