What Trustees for the Future does

Trustees for the Future (Pty) Ltd is a South African fiduciary services firm founded in 2006 by Karen Eckley, operating from offices in Potchefstroom, Centurion and Paarl with a 12-employee team that holds 19 formal qualifications and 136 years of collective experience. The firm delivers four integrated service pillars — Estate Lifecycle Solutions, Trust Governance and Administration, Asset Protection and Wealth Optimisation, and Ad Hoc and Customised Fiduciary Services — alongside the Second Opinion platform for trust deed audits launched in 2023. The company is a Juristic Representative of Futurum Financial Group (Pty) Ltd (FSP 654) and partners with sister company The Family Constitution Company to provide outsourced Family Office services.

The firm serves high-net-worth individuals and families, trust beneficiaries and trustees, business owners requiring succession and asset protection planning, and a network of referring professional advisors including Certified Financial Planners, attorneys and auditors. Sales are direct and relationship-driven, with the go-to-market anchored on professional referrals, consultations at the three South African offices, and educational content published on the website and LinkedIn. The leadership team — Managing Director Karen Eckley and Directors Tamara Wallis and Sydney Eckley — carries the bulk of technical expertise, supported by fiduciary administrators, a deceased estates manager and a financial controller.

The business model is professional services revenue generated from fee-based estate planning, recurring trust administration, asset protection advisory, and ad hoc fiduciary work. Pricing is quote-based and undisclosed, with multi-year contracts for ongoing engagements. No external institutional investment or PE/VC funding is present; the firm is founder-led and operates within the South African regulatory perimeter of FSP 654, with POPIA and PAIA compliance infrastructure in place.

Name

Trustees for the Future

Legal name

Trustees for the Future (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://trusteesforthefuture.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trustees for the Future is a South African fiduciary services firm founded in 2006, providing estate planning, trust administration, and asset protection advisory to high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners from three provincial offices across South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fiduciary Services

NAICS

Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiduciary Agency & Trustee-for-Hire Services (FSAAANAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate Planning & Trust Structuring Advisory (FSAEAKAC), Estate Planning, Trust Structuring & Governance (FSAAADAF), Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Fiduciary services
• Estate planning
• Trust administration
• Deceased estate administration
• Asset protection advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Potchefstroom

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Estate Planning and Administration Services: Professional fees for estate lifecycle solutions including estate planning, executor services, and deceased estate administration. Services are customized based on complexity and client needs.
2. Trust Governance and Administration: Ongoing trust administration fees for maintaining trust compliance, records, resolutions, and reporting. Includes acting as independent trustees.
3. Asset Protection and Wealth Optimisation: Advisory and structuring services focused on protecting assets from legal risks while ensuring optimal wealth transfer and governance.
4. Trust Deed Audits and Second Opinion Services: Ad hoc fiduciary services including trust deed audits, amendments, and expert reviews for compliance with current legislation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Trustees for the Future is a South African fiduciary services firm providing estate planning, trust governance and administration, asset protection, and deceased estate administration to high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners. The firm acts as an independent trustee and collaborates with financial advisors, auditors, and attorneys to deliver holistic legacy and succession planning. Services are delivered through direct professional consultations at three South African offices and supported by a specialised Second Opinion trust audit platform.

Product overview

Trustees for the Future operates as a fiduciary services company offering four integrated service pillars: (1) Estate Lifecycle Solutions — comprehensive estate planning, administration, and executor services across generations; (2) Trust Governance & Administration — full trust administration, compliance, and trustee services; (3) Asset Protection & Wealth Optimisation — protecting trust assets from liabilities while ensuring optimal wealth transfer; and (4) Ad Hoc & Customised Fiduciary Services — case-by-case advisory and structuring. Additionally, the Second Opinion platform provides specialised trust deed audits and legislative compliance reviews. An electronic services channel via JotForm complements the core offerings. The company is a juristic representative of Futurum Financial Group (FSP 654) and collaborates with its sister company, The Family Constitution Company, to deliver outsourced Family Office services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Estate Lifecycle Solutions Comprehensive estate planning, administration, and succession services covering structuring of estate documents, liquidity planning, beneficiary allocations, executor duties, and regular plan reviews to ensure efficient execution of testamentary wishes across generations. Intended for affluent South African individuals, families, and business owners seeking to minimise legal disputes and protect legacy.
• Trust Governance and Administration Full trust administration services including maintenance of resolutions, records, and reporting, alignment with legal and regulatory obligations, independent trustee appointments, and mediation of disputes between beneficiaries and trustees. Intended for existing trusts, trustees, and beneficiaries (including minors and special-needs dependents) requiring ongoing professional administration.
• Asset Protection and Wealth Optimisation Advisory and structuring services focused on protecting trust assets from legal risks and business liabilities while ensuring optimal wealth transfer and governance. Includes surety and asset risk management, multi-trust structuring, and succession planning. Intended for business owners, entrepreneurs, and high-net-worth families with complex multi-entity asset structures.
• Ad Hoc and Customised Fiduciary Services High-level advisory and structuring services addressing specific fiduciary needs on a case-by-case basis without long-term administrative obligations. Includes estate diagnostics and review, trust registration, trust deed audits and amendments, trustee and beneficiary amendments, and company secretarial services. Intended for clients needing targeted, time-bound fiduciary interventions.
• Second Opinion Trust Audit Platform A specialised trust audit platform delivering expert reviews of trust deeds for validity, beneficiary identification, trustee powers, and compliance with South African trust law. Designed for existing trustees, settlors, and beneficiaries needing an independent review against current legislation (including Trust Property Control Act amendments effective April 2023) and optimal structuring for income, capital, and capital gains.

Quantifiable outcome

• Deceased estate administration typically takes up to 2 years with professional guidance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Futurum Financial Group (Pty) LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrustees for the Future (Pty) Ltd is a Juristic Representative of Futurum Financial Group (Pty) Ltd, an authorised financial services provider (FSP 654). This affiliation provides regulatory authorization and access to a broader financial services network.
• The Family Constitution CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company collaborating with Trustees for the Future to provide outsourced Family Office services. Together they possess the expertise to act as conductor in the family advisory orchestra, providing holistic wealth management and legacy preservation services.

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nedgroup Private Wealth / Nedbank Trust Services: Nedbank offers trust administration, estate planning, and fiduciary services to HNW clients through Nedgroup Private Wealth. It competes for the same trust and deceased estate administration mandates and benefits from integrated banking and wealth offerings.
• FNB Fiduciary Services: FirstRand's FNB offers a fiduciary services division covering wills, estates, and trust administration for HNW clients. It competes with Trustees for the Future in the South African trust administration market and benefits from integrated private banking distribution.
• PSG Wealth Trust: PSG Wealth provides trust, estate planning, and fiduciary services as part of its wealth advisory offering in South Africa. It targets a similar HNW client base and competes for independent trustee and executor mandates.
• KPMG South Africa Private Client Services: KPMG's South African practice offers private client tax, estate planning, and fiduciary services to HNW individuals and families. It competes for similar estate and trust advisory mandates and adds audit and tax scale that an independent trustee firm like Trustees for the Future cannot match.
• Old Mutual Wealth (Old Mutual Insure): Old Mutual is a major South African insurer and wealth manager with a dedicated trust and estate administration offering. It targets the same HNW estate and trust planning market as Trustees for the Future but as part of a much wider financial services platform.
• Sanlam Trust: Sanlam is one of South Africa's largest financial services groups and offers trust, estate administration, and fiduciary services alongside insurance and investment products. It competes with Trustees for the Future for the same HNW trust and estate mandates but at greater scale and with broader cross-sell capabilities.

Regional players

• Stonehage Fleming: Stonehage Fleming is a multi-jurisdictional family office and trustee firm with a presence in South Africa serving HNW families with cross-border wealth structuring. It competes with Trustees for the Future on complex multi-generational estate and trust planning for SA families with international assets.

Direct peers

• BoE Trust (Taquanta): BoE Trust (now part of Taquanta) is a long-established South African independent trust company providing independent trustee, executor, and trust administration services. It is a direct competitor in the same specialist fiduciary niche as Trustees for the Future.
• Sentinel International (Capitec subsidiary): Sentinel International is a South African independent trust company offering trust, estate, and fiduciary services directly comparable to Trustees for the Future's core offering. Both firms act as professional independent trustees and estate administrators for HNW families.

Emerging players

• BDO South Africa Trust Services: BDO South Africa provides trust administration and fiduciary services through its private client and tax practice. It is comparable to Trustees for the Future in serving HNW clients with estate planning and trust needs, though as part of a broader accounting and advisory firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/trusteesforthefuture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trustees-for-the-future

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trustees for the Future