Trust For Minors

What happens to money in a trust when a child turns 18?

That depends entirely on how the trust is written — turning 18 does not automatically release trust funds to a minor beneficiary. A revocable living trust can specify any age for distribution, such as 25 or 30, or even stagger releases across multiple ages. Until that age is reached, a named trustee manages and distributes funds for the child's benefit, covering things like education, health, and living expenses. This is one of the key reasons families use a trust for minors rather than leaving assets outright in a will, where a court-supervised custodianship typically ends at 18 regardless of the child's financial readiness.