Planning with Directed Trusts
Mary E. Vandenack, CAP®
January 14, 2026
Description:
Directed Trusts: A Smarter Way to Plan for Modern Clients.
Directed trusts are a powerful—and often underutilized—planning tool that can help estate planning attorneys meet today’s realities: complex family dynamics, evolving asset classes, and heightened fiduciary risk. In this one-hour webinar, attorney Mary Vandenack explains what a directed trust is and why it matters—specifically how it separates traditional trustee responsibilities so that an administrative trustee can take direction from specialized “directors” or advisors over investments, distributions, special holdings, charitable decisions, and more.
You’ll gain practical guidance on when to recommend directed trusts for clients, along with drafting considerations that help avoid common pitfalls—like unclear authority, reporting gaps, and mismatched liability.
Mary also explores real-world applications, including planning for closely held businesses, concentrated stock, blended families, beneficiaries with special needs, and long-term multi-generational trusts—plus the strategic value of situs flexibility and jurisdictional options as laws continue to evolve.
Join us for a practical, attorney-focused session on how directed trusts can add flexibility, improve administration, and better align trustee responsibilities with real-world client goals.
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Continuing Education Credits
InterActive Legal is not an approved Continuing Education (CE) Sponsor. However, several states and
regulatory agencies for a variety of professionals that participate on our teleconferences may still receive
continuing education credit for their participation. If a participant wishes to receive CE credit for their
participation in these teleconferences, they must apply to receive credit on their own and through their
individual states and regulatory authorities. It is the responsibility of the participant to file for CE
credit and is not guaranteed by the webinar sponsors.
Mary E. Vandenack, CAP®
InterActive Legal Advisor
Mary Vandenack, ACTEC, COLPM®, CAP®, and Accredited Estate Planner® (Distinguished), brings a wealth of experience from diverse fields to offer comprehensive counsel on tax, business, real estate, financial assets, asset protection, philanthropy, and trust and estate matters. She is deeply committed to understanding her clients’ unique objectives and challenges, providing tailored advice for business owners on starting, growing, and selling their businesses, as well as on personal tax, estate, and legacy planning.
Mary’s expertise and dedication have earned her a place in the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame, recognizing her outstanding service to clients and her profession. She also serves as the Nebraska State Chair for ACTEC and is a Professor of Law at Creighton University School of Law.
As the founder of the podcast “Legal Visionaries,” Mary explores topics ranging from tax, estate planning, and business to law firm leadership, technology, and wellness. She is a pioneer in integrating technology into legal practice, a commitment that earned her the American Bar Association’s James I. Keane Award, and an induction into the Women of Legal Tech.
A prolific writer and speaker, Mary frequently shares her insights on family wealth transfer planning, business succession and exit planning, asset protection planning, estate and gift taxes, and philanthropy. She is a respected commentator for Leimberg Services, a leading publication in tax, trusts, estates, benefits, and asset protection planning. Mary is a sought-after speaker at national conferences, where she occasionally leads yoga or mindfulness sessions, blending her professional expertise with her passion for wellness.
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