What is the definition of the intent to create a trust?

• A. An intent to deliver property to a beneficiary personally.
• B. An intent to execute a will.
• C. An intent to transfer property to a trustee for the benefit of beneficiaries.
• D. An intent to form a partnership.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that creating a trust hinges on the settlor’s intent to place property under a trustee’s control for the benefit of designated beneficiaries. This is exactly what transferring property to a trustee for the benefit of beneficiaries accomplishes: it establishes the trustee’s legal ownership and fiduciary duty to manage the property for others, separating control from ownership and benefiting specific people. The other options don’t establish that trustee–beneficiary relationship: giving property directly to a beneficiary is a direct gift, not a trust; executing a will allocates property after death but isn’t itself the creation of a trust; forming a partnership creates a business entity, not a trust arrangement.