When an estate is held in a trust, who holds legal title?

When an estate is held in a trust, the legal title is held by the trustee. The trustee is the individual or entity appointed to manage the trust according to its terms and for the benefit of the beneficiaries. This means that the trustee has the authority to make decisions regarding the trust assets, manage investments, and carry out the directives outlined in the trust document.

The beneficiaries, on the other hand, do not hold legal title; they have an equitable interest in the trust assets. They are entitled to benefit from the trust but do not have the legal rights that come with ownership.

The executor is typically involved in managing a deceased person’s estate through the probate process and does not have a role in a trust unless specified by the trust document. Lastly, the grantor is the person who creates the trust and transfers assets into it but does not retain legal title once the assets are placed in the trust. Thus, the correct answer is that the trustee holds the legal title in a trust.