A
trust is a relationship whereby
property is held by one party for the benefit of another. A trust is created by a
settlor, who transfers property to a
trustee. The trustee holds that property for the trust's
beneficiaries. Trusts exist mainly in
common law jurisdictions and similar systems existed since
Roman times. An owner of property, that places property into trust turns over part of his or her
bundle of rights to the trustee, separating the property's legal
ownership and control from its
equitable ownership and benefits. This may be done for
tax avoidance reasons or to control the property and its benefits if the settlor is absent,
incapacitated, or dead. Trusts are frequently created in
wills, defining how money and property will be handled for children or other beneficiaries.