Wasserman Trust

46 Pa. D. & C.2d 465, 1969 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 159
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Philadelphia County
DecidedApril 30, 1969
Docketno. 255 of 1938
StatusPublished

This text of 46 Pa. D. & C.2d 465 (Wasserman Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wasserman Trust, 46 Pa. D. & C.2d 465, 1969 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 159 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1969).

Opinion

Klein, J.,

Benjamin Wasserman, the settlor, directed that upon the death of his son, Howard, which occurred in 1965, the sum of $10,000 per annum be paid in equal quarterly installments from the net income unto Howard’s wife “with whom he is married and living at the time of his death . . . for and during the term of her life until her death or remarriage, whichever shall first occur ...” He also directed that the balance of income be paid to Howard’s children, with further provision that they were to receive the principal upon attaining the age of 30 years.

[466]*466Howard was survived by his wife, Nancy W. Wasserman, who is 44 years old and unmarried. He was also survived by two children, Diane Mraz and H. Barton Wasserman, who are now both over 30 years of age.

The estate has a present value of approximately $1,400,000. Settlor’s two grandchildren have requested the court to exonerate the excess of principal not needed to secure the annual income of $10,000 to Howard’s widow and to award such excess to them.

The auditing judge directed the trustee to retain $500,000 to be composed of such assets at current market values as the trustee shall select and awarded the balance outright to settlor’s two grandchildren in equal one-half shares.

No exceptions were taken to the adjudication. Objections were filed by Howard’s widow to the schedule of distribution which was filed pursuant to a direction in the adjudication. She contends that if the securities which were retained were sold, the principal would be reduced below the $500,000 fixed by the auditing judge because of liability for payment of federal capital gains tax. She also complains because she alleges that the securities retained by the trustee were selected without due consideration to her personal situation with respect to income taxes.

The auditing judge dismissed all of the objections whereupon exceptions were filed which are now before us for consideration.

Our primary concern is that the distribution of principal to the remaindermen will not in any manner or at any time jeopardize the right of Howard’s widow to receive the full gift of income to which she is entitled.

Since the gift of $10,000 per annum is to be paid only from the net income, it seems clear that principal [467]*467may not be invaded to make up any possible deficiency in income. Moreover, it is doubtful whether excess income may be accumulated to meet such deficiencies. It is also questionable if any agreement made by the remaindermen with respect to the retention of income or the use of principal to meet deficiencies would be enforceable in view of the stringent spendthrift limitations contained in the trust instrument.

We are in full agreement with the conclusions of the auditing judge for the reasons which are so well set forth in the adjudication and his opinion sur objections to schedule of distribution, with but a single caveat.

Those of us who lived through the great depression of 40 years ago, will ever remember the drastic collapse of the American economy. Many highly regarded securities and investments became worthless over night and millionaires who had enjoyed fabulous incomes became penniless paupers. Howard’s widow has a life expectancy of about 35 years. Who, among us, can prognosticate what will happen to our dollar in the years which lie ahead? Who knows with certainty whether the American people will again be subjected to a financial collapse similar to the depression?

The gift of $10,000 annually to the widow is a charge upon the entire residue. It seems clear to us that any doubt or question with respect to the adequacy of the fund set aside to secure the payments to her must be resolved in her favor. Accordingly, we have reached the conclusion, with the full approval of the auditing judge, that the award in the adjudication of $500,000 to The Fidelity Bank should be increased to $600,000. In all other respects the adjudication and the schedule of distribution are confirmed without change. In this manner, we believe the interest of Howard’s widow will be protected from possible unknown contingencies and also from the impact of any taxes which may be imposed upon the trust portfolio.

May 6, 1968.

We refrain from expressing any opinion concerning the type of investments to be selected by the trustee in setting up and administering the aforesaid fund of $600,000.

The exceptions are dismissed and the adjudication and schedule of distribution, as modified in this opinion, are confirmed. A supplemental schedule of distribution to include the additional $100,000 awarded to the trustee shall be submitted, in duplicate, to the auditing judge.

Burke, J.,

Opinion sur Exceptions to Schedule of Distribution

This matter comes before the court on objections to the schedule of distribution filed by Nancy Wasserman (Nancy) claiming that the schedule does not conform to the adjudication in the following respects:

1. The bonds and common stocks consigned to the fund of $500,000 retained to provide $10,000 per annum for Nancy are not in fact worth $500,000 because they have a built-in capital gains tax liability. Thus it is claimed that if the entire portfolio were liquidated immediately the proceeds of the salé after payment of the tax would be less than the $500,000 required by the adjudication.

2. The securities were selected by the trustee without due consideration for Nancy’s personal situation as regards taxes, and,

3. If such consideration had been given to her situation the trustee would have selected only tax exempt bonds for the trust and the balance would have consisted of cash.

The answer to the first objection can be dismissed succinctly. The reason this court directed that the capitalization of two percent be used instead of the more common three percent rate in establishing the size of the fund to be retained by the trustee was because it [469]*469was shown that the assets which the trustee proposed to retain had a low basis for income tax purposes and, therefore, would be subject to capital gains tax (the fund set forth in the schedule of distribution is substantially identical to the one in exhibit L-2). As was said in the adjudication, to which no exceptions were taken, at page 5 “fixing the principal sum to be retained in trust the court has considered the possibility of capital gains taxes generated by reason of conversions during the term of the trust”.

The first objection is, accordingly, dismissed.

The second and third objections listed above are closely related and are not proper questions for this court. Once again I say that Nancy may not dictate investment policy for which the trustee must answer to all. The trustee was bound to consider the “legitimate interests of all other parties in interest” (Adj. 6). The trustee selected stocks and bonds which produce 30 percent tax exempt income and 70 percent taxable income. The discretion of selection rests solely in the trustee and this court will not interfere in the trustee’s exercise of that discretion unless there is a clear showing of abuse. Morton Smith, an investment counselor, whose investment expertise was unquestioned, testified that he would have invested the entire fund in “deep discount tax exempt bonds”.

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Bluebook (online)
46 Pa. D. & C.2d 465, 1969 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 159, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wasserman-trust-paorphctphilad-1969.