How do these trust differ from most other trusts? Well, as the name implies, the trust is 'silent' or 'quiet' about its existence. The trust holds its terms 'confidential'.
Under the terms of a silent trust the trustee is NOT required to inform any beneficiaries about the existence of a trust until a certain event occurs with might 'trigger' notification. A common 'trigger' would be that the beneficiary reaches the age of 21 or older, then the trustee notifies the beneficiary that they are named as the beneficiary of a trust.
What makes a silent trust useful? Some grantors of larger trusts do not want their children or grandchildren to become 'trust fund babies', the beneficiary waiting for the time when they receive their trust funds.
In another example, there may be a beneficiary with personal issues, such as drug or gambling addictions, and the grantor does not wish to reveal the terms of the trust nor its existence.
However...If a silent trust sounds ideal in your circumstances, you will have to consider that in most states the terms of a silent trust are not possible. The only states currently that allow for silent, quiet or confidential trusts are Alaska, Delaware, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming. Most other states require that the trustee of a trust notify the beneficiaries about the existence of the trust and send financial statements to the beneficiary.
To set up a silent trust you would need to have it done by an experienced professional dealing with trusts.
If you want to read more about silent trusts, there is an excellent article in Forbes (Retirement)*
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* 4 Things You Should Know About Silent Trusts by Christine Fletcher. Contributor .Forbes (Retirement) March 30, 2021