The trust assets comprised real estate and other capital monies.

The unitholders have the rights to the trust assets.

The company has also started a personal trust business for people who have trust assets of more than $500,000.

But that share had fallen by more than half, from 87 percent of trust assets, since the end of 1990.

"And you felt that embezzling the trust assets would make everything all right?"

The donor gets back a stream of payments for life and can decide how to invest the trust assets.

The operative principle is whether the trust assets or income are available to the beneficiary.

The trustees usually pay the tax on trust assets.

The transfer of trust assets, however, can remain confidential.

When trust assets are mixed up with money from other beneficiaries, the courts have had more difficulty.