Why More Investors Are Using Family Trusts to Protect Their Wealth

A family trust is a specific type of trust you could use to help ensure your lovedones receive your wealth.. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

For many investors, a family trust may be a key part of a smart estate and financial plan, especially for preserving and passing on wealth.   A family trust is a specific type of trust you could use to help ensure your loved ones receive your wealth, and potentially avoid public disclosure of trust assets.   Wondering if a family trust is right for your assets? Speaking with a financial advisor could be a good first step to answering that question and potentially setting one up.   Benefits of a family trust: Avoid probate: Helps keep matters private and potentially saves your heirs time and legal fees. Shield assets: Potentially protect assets from creditors, lawsuits, and even divorce. Legacy planning: Define how and when beneficiaries receive their inheritance Tax strategy: With estate tax thresholds set to decrease in 2026, trusts can potentially be used proactively to minimize exposure and lock in current exemptions while they last. If you're thinking about creating or updating a trust, now may be the right time to speak with a fiduciary financial advisor.   That's why we created a free tool to help match you with vetted financial advisors who serve your area, each legally bound to work in your best interest.   It's never too late to plan to work toward a comfortable retirement. Get your financial advisor matches today. Try SmartAsset's Financial Advisor Matching Tool   Hire a pro. Find and compare vetted financial advisors serving your area, each legally bound to work in your best interest. Get Started This is not an offer to buy or sell any security or interest. All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Working with an adviser may come with potential downsides such as payment of fees (which will reduce returns). Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. There are no guarantees that working with an adviser will yield positive returns. The existence of a fiduciary duty does not prevent the rise of potential conflicts of interest. SmartAsset.com is not intended to provide legal advice, tax advice, accounting advice or financial advice (Other than referring users to third party advisers registered or chartered as fiduciaries ("Adviser(s)") with a regulatory body in the United States). The article and opinions in this publication are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. We suggest that you consult your accountant, tax, or legal advisor with regard to your individual situation.   SmartAsset Advisors, LLC ("SmartAsset"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Financial Insight Technology, is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. SmartAsset's services are limited to referring users to third party advisers registered or chartered as fiduciaries ("Adviser(s)") with a regulatory body in the United States that have elected to participate in our matching platform based on information gathered from users through our online questionnaire. SmartAsset receives compensation from Advisers for our services. SmartAsset does not review the ongoing performance of any Adviser, participate in the management of any user's account by an Adviser or provide advice regarding specific investments.   We do not manage client funds or hold custody of assets, we help users connect with relevant financial advisors.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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Featured News from MarketBeat

TL;DR: Why Reddit is the New Growth Stock to Beat

Reported by Nathan Reiff. Originally Published: 12/19/2025.

Key Points

• Reddit's revenue and user base have grown at a fast pace in recent quarters.
• Strong performance internationally has helped to fuel these gains, thanks to add-on features like translation tools and more.
• The company's average revenue per user remains low compared to rivals, suggesting that Reddit could continue to boost its appeal to advertisers going forward.

Reddit Inc. (NYSE: RDDT) is ending the year on a high note, having returned about 37% in 2025 after a rally that appeared to stall earlier in the fall.

The online content‑sharing platform is showing signs of rapid growth: its user base, earnings, and engagement features are all expanding quickly. At a time when major social media rivals like Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) and even alternatives such as Pinterest Inc. (NYSE: PINS) have failed to outperform the market—or have declined—Reddit seems to be heating up.

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What might 2026 have in store for the popular aggregation site, and will it remain the growth stock to beat? A closer look at user engagement, advertising momentum, and the company's capacity to improve monetization highlights Reddit's potential going forward.

User Engagement Fuels Potential Growth

One of the brightest spots for Reddit this year has been its strong engagement gains. The company closed the third quarter with an impressive 116 million daily active uniques (DAUQ) — individual users who visited reddit.com, opened a related app, or otherwise engaged with the platform in a 24‑hour period. That represented roughly a 20% year‑over‑year (YOY) increase, similar to gains in weekly active uniques (WAUQ).

International DAUQ grew about 31% YOY, outpacing overall engagement gains thanks to meaningful adoption in markets such as France, Brazil, and India.

Reddit's business depends on a large, engaged user base, and growth in DAUQ and WAUQ underpins future opportunity. More users strengthen Reddit's position with advertisers, who account for the majority of the company's revenue.

An underexploited revenue opportunity is monetizing its data. With roughly 3.8 billion site visits in September alone, Reddit has extensive user signals that are increasingly valuable, especially amid the ongoing AI boom.

Revenue and Earnings Climb, But ARPU Trails Competitors

As engagement has picked up, Reddit's revenue has risen sharply. In the latest earnings, revenue reached $585 million, up more than two‑thirds year over year. International revenue was particularly strong, rising 74% YOY. Earnings per share (EPS) increased roughly 400% as both the top and bottom lines comfortably beat analyst estimates. Guidance for the final quarter put revenue between $655 million and $665 million.

Measured on a per‑user basis, average revenue per user (ARPU) was $5.04 in the most recent quarter — a 41% YOY improvement but still well below many competitors (Meta's ARPU, for example, is about three times higher). Improving ARPU presents a clear growth lever, but Reddit will need more than user growth alone to close the gap.

There are several avenues to raise ARPU, including better monetization of unique content and communities and deploying tools like auto‑translations and content indexing—features that can make Reddit more attractive to advertisers seeking diverse, active audiences.

AI and Human Content Balance Key to 2026 Outlook

Analysts are generally optimistic about Reddit heading into the new year, with 18 out of 29 assigning it a Buy or equivalent rating.

Following its year‑end rally, short‑term upside is less certain—based on a consensus price target of $230.28, Reddit is already approaching the level analysts expect it could reach.

How Reddit navigates AI adoption will be pivotal. So far the company has limited user‑facing AI, and that restraint has kept human‑generated content central to the user experience.

The appeal of community‑driven, human content has broadened Reddit's user base. If the company can maintain that balance—combining robust, community‑led content with practical tools for users and advertisers—it could continue to gain traction into 2026 and beyond.

 

 
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Further Reading: What Expenses Can Be Deducted From Capital Gains Tax? (From SmartAsset)