Dave Barton, president and chief executive of Mercer Advisors, cited the business model and non-competing trust services of National Advisor Trust Company (NATC). “They do not compete with advisers,” Barton said, calling the company a natural fit for their needs and those of their clients.

“The model of combining an RIA like Mercer Advisors with a national trust company that provides conflict-free trust administration services, is a more attractive wealth management solution when compared to other trust services options on the market today,” said Jim Combs, chief executive of NATC. RIAs need flexibility and customization to meet the diverse needs of their client base, he said. “Trust trust services offered by large bank trust companies are becoming increasingly inflexible, often requiring high asset minimums and lacking a personalized approach,” Combs said.

Since NATC is principally owned by RIAs, Combs said, the firm understands the need RIAs have to be able to offer a range of personalized trust services. “RIAs want to be named in trust documents as the investment adviser so they can honor clients’ requests to continue managing client assets when assets pass to family members,” he said. “That kind of continuity and high-touch service can only be achieved by working with a non-competitive trust partner like NATC. We see this trend growing, and expect it to continue in the coming decade.”