Estate planning involves organizing, managing, and distributing your assets during your lifetime and after your passing, while minimizing, if not avoiding, legal complications for your chosen beneficiaries.
Many assume this is something to think about later in life, but the earlier you start, you get:
Begin with a clear picture of what you have. This includes bank accounts, investments, business interests, and real properties.
Next, think about your intentions. Who do you want to benefit from these assets, and in what way? Consider not just who, but also when and how.
For example:
The answers need not be perfect.
Lastly, remember that your plan should support your life today.
One structure to consider is Personal Management Trust (PMT) or formerly known as Living Trust. This allows you to consolidate both financial and real assets under a single arrangement, guided by a dedicated Trust Professional.
PMT is an account, where you may consolidate your assets bound by a Trust Agreement. The Trust Agreement contains your instructions (how your assets are managed and eventually distributed). Depending on your needs, this can be structured to give you flexibility or permanence, as appropriate. Importantly, you remain in control.
You can structure your plan to enjoy your assets during your lifetime while ensuring their seamless transfer upon your passing and/or based on the conditions you set. You may choose to transfer a property to your child upon marriage, allocate funds once a child becomes a licensed professional, or other key life events.
Funds within the account are professionally managed, with the goal of long-term growth. Instead of paying premiums, you will be charged an annual trust fee that is typically a small percentage of the market value of your assets.
This structure allows your assets to grow while remaining organized, accessible, and aligned with your intentions.
You do not have to navigate estate planning by yourself. Trust Professionals are trained in estate planning and investments. They can help bring structure to your plans, clarify your options, and guide you toward decisions that align with your goals.
When the time feels right, you can connect with your Metrobank partner, who can help arrange a conversation with a Trust Account Manager, your dedicated Trust Professional.
Mariel Lopez is an Investment Counselor at Metrobank under the Financial Markets Sector, drawing on her experience in Trust Banking. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy from the University of Asia & the Pacific (UA&P), a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and has recently completed the Registered Financial Planner course. Outside of finance, Mariel is an avid reader and a certified barre instructor who also pursues intense workouts and is training for her first international hybrid race
