In trust law, which term refers to the person who creates and funds the trust?

• A. Testator
• B. Beneficiary
• C. Grantor, settlor, or trust maker
• D. Trustee

Answer: (C)

The main concept is who creates and funds a trust. The person who does this is the grantor, also called the settlor or trust maker. These terms describe the individual who establishes the trust document and transfers assets into the trust, thereby funding it. The grantor signs the trust and directs what assets go into it, setting up the legal relationship where the trust holds title to the assets and a trustee later manages them for the beneficiaries.

Understanding the other roles helps: a testator is the person who creates a will (and any trust within a will is a testamentary trust formed after death), not the person who sets up and funds a trust during life. A beneficiary is someone who benefits from the trust, not its creator or funding party. A trustee is the fiduciary who administers the trust and holds or manages the assets for the beneficiaries, not the creator or funder.