Estate planning and asset protection both usually involve giving property away, often in trust, and someone must be named as the trustee.  Some clients – who may not be keen on the idea of transferring property to begin with – may want to maintain control and therefore would like to be the trustee.  Other clients may not have anyone else that they trust to fill that role and therefore would like to serve as trustee themselves.  These scenarios raise the important question of when a client who creates a trust can serve as trustee.