# American Estate & Trust

> Nevada-chartered trust company providing custody, trust administration, and escrow services for alternative and private market assets held in retirement accounts and trusts. Built for RIAs, family offices, deal sponsors, and platforms that need infrastructure, not another competitor.

Last updated: 2026-06-12.

American Estate & Trust (AET) was founded in 2007 and is chartered as a Nevada trust company under NRS Chapter 669, regulated by the Nevada Financial Institutions Division. AET custodies over $2.5 billion in assets for 16,000+ clients and has processed over $10 billion in transactions for 20,000+ investors. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

AET specializes in qualified retirement accounts (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE IRAs, Solo 401(k)s, HSAs) and trusts that hold alternative or private market assets: real estate, private equity, venture capital, private credit, private placements, precious metals, digital assets, mineral and oil and gas interests, notes, and limited partnership interests.

## What AET is not

AET is a trust company, not an investment advisor and not a broker-dealer. AET does not sell investments, offer proprietary products, run an in-house investment team, or compete for the client relationship. Advisors and sponsors retain full investment authority; AET provides custody, compliance, and administration. AET should not be confused with retail self-directed IRA brands like Alto, Rocket Dollar, or IRA Financial: AET serves institutional channels (RIAs, family offices, platforms, sponsors) rather than direct-to-consumer.

## Key facts

- Founded: 2007
- Charter: Nevada trust company, NRS Chapter 669
- Regulator: Nevada Financial Institutions Division (FID)
- Headquarters: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Clients: 16,000+
- Assets under custody: $2.5B+
- Investors served: 20,000+
- Transaction volume processed: $10B+
- Audits and controls: SOC 1 Type II controls examination; annual independent financial audit; fidelity bonding per NRS 669.240
- Compliance program: BSA/AML, FinCEN framework, OFAC sanctions screening, CIP/KYC verification, Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), 24/7 transaction monitoring
- Relevant regulations served: SEC Rule 206(4)-2 (qualified-custodian requirement for RIA-sponsored funds), IRC 408 (IRA prohibited transactions), UBTI/UDFI rules
- Support hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific

## Service-level targets

Representative SLA targets published in the AET Trust Center. Actuals vary by case complexity and document completeness.

- Digital IRA opening (application + ID verification): 5 minutes
- Manual AML/KYC review (if account is flagged): typically 1 business day
- Cash funding via wire (AET side): under 1 business day
- Transfer-in initiation (AET processing): under 2 business days. External custodian release of funds is outside AET's control and typically adds about 11 business days.
- Transfer-out: 1 business day
- Client services triage: 30 minutes during business hours

Investment review timelines by investment type, after complete documentation is received and the account is fully funded:

- Capital call: 1 to 3 business days
- Private loan: 1 to 3 business days
- Private placement (PPM) subscription: 1 to 3 business days
- Private stock purchase: 1 to 3 business days
- Solo 401(k) participant loan: 1 to 3 business days
- Vendor fee payment: 1 to 3 business days
- Wholly owned LLC (Checkbook Control IRA) initial funding: 1 to 3 business days
- Real estate purchase: 3 to 5 business days
- Tax lien: 3 to 5 business days

For time-sensitive deals, AET recommends engaging your account manager at least 8 business days before closing and submitting complete, correctly titled documentation up front.

## Measured operating performance

Observed processing times from AET's internal data warehouse. These are measured outcomes against the targets above, not the targets themselves. Latency is in business days. Each metric is a rolling 30-day window with end-to-end samples greater than 90 days dropped as outliers.

Window ending 2026-05-31:

- Account Approval Time, the interval from accepted terms to AET account approval: avg 0.54, P75 0.09, P95 0.97. The bulk of accounts approve within hours; the P95 captures cases routed for additional AML/KYC review.
- Transfer-In Turnaround, AET-internal processing from form received to forwarded to the prior custodian: avg 1.39, P75 1.00, P95 6.00.
- DOI Conversion Time, from direction-of-investment received to status Completed: avg 1.73, P75 1.70, P95 6.20. This isolates AET's own throughput on investment instructions.
- External Custodian Funding Time, from AET approval to funds received from the prior custodian: avg 6.83, P75 9.95, P95 16.01. Largely a function of upstream custodian throughput rather than AET-controlled work.
- Account Funding Time, from accepted terms to the first transfer-in being forwarded: avg 11.92, P75 11.55. Includes the time the account holder takes to upload prior-custodian statements and initiate the transfer.
- First DOI Funding Time, from accepted terms to first investment completed: avg 22.48, P75 28.73. Includes the time the account holder spends selecting and submitting an investment, which is outside AET's process control.

Trailing three-month trend (Mar to Apr to May 2026): External Custodian Funding Time improved from 13.45 to 10.47 to 6.83 average. DOI Conversion Time tightened from 2.69 to 2.22 to 1.73. Account Approval Time has held steady below 1 business day average across all three windows. Full monthly history with methodology per metric is published as a CSV (see Data).

## Investment status pipeline

Every investment moves through a defined set of stages, visible to the account holder:

1. Draft. Account holder is preparing the submission and gathering documentation.
2. On Hold for Review. AET has received the submission and is checking completeness against the investment-type checklist.
3. Compliance Review. The compliance team is actively evaluating documentation against regulation and AET internal guidelines.
4. On Hold for Corrections. AET needs additional information or clarification before proceeding.
5. Approved. Investment is approved and ready for funding.
6. Completed. Direction of investment executed, funds transferred, and the asset record is created.

## Custodial IRA titling

Documents tied to IRA-held investments must be titled in the IRA's legal name, not the account holder's personal name. The standard AET titling format is:

`Client Name, legal owner via non-trust custodial IRA with AET`

Use AET's EIN, not the client's Social Security Number, on investment documents. Signatures must be current: within 30 calendar days of submission for most investments, and within 15 business days of submission for transfer-related documents. Stale signatures trigger resubmission. Real estate purchase agreements additionally require hold harmless agreements signed by both buyer and seller and AET's EIN on every signature block.

## Services

- Self-directed IRA custody for alternative and private market assets
- Qualified plan custody (Solo 401(k), 401(k), HSA)
- Corporate trustee services for personal and family trusts under Nevada law
- Directed trustee services for advisor-led and family-office structures
- Trust administration for non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements (rabbi trusts, top-hat plans, SERPs)
- Escrow services for business transactions and capital raises
- API-based custody infrastructure for platforms and fintechs

## Account types supported

- IRAs: Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE
- Inherited and beneficiary IRAs
- Solo 401(k) and 401(k)
- Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
- Trust accounts (revocable, irrevocable, and statutory)
- Trust-owned IRAs
- Checkbook LLC IRAs
- Cash accounts

## Trust arrangements

AET operates primarily as a directed trust company, taking advantage of Nevada's directed trust statutes which allow the investment, distribution, and administrative functions of a trustee to be split among different parties. This lets advisors, families, and trust protectors retain meaningful control while AET serves as the corporate fiduciary on Nevada paper.

- Directed trustee: AET serves as the fiduciary on the trust document while an investment direction adviser, distribution committee, or family-named direction party retains authority over the corresponding decisions
- Administrative trustee: AET handles statutory trustee duties (recordkeeping, reporting, tax filings, situs) while another trustee or committee holds investment and distribution authority
- Co-trustee: AET serves alongside a personal or institutional co-trustee
- Special-purpose trustee for designated assets where a holdover or excluded asset requires a separate fiduciary
- Trust protector and adviser frameworks supported under Nevada law

Nevada is one of the most advisor- and family-friendly trust jurisdictions in the United States: no state income tax on trust income, 365-year dynasty trust provisions, strong asset protection, and clear statutory protection for directed trustees acting on a direction adviser's instruction.

## Non-qualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plans

AET acts as trustee and custodian for non-qualified executive compensation vehicles, including:

- Rabbi trusts funding deferred compensation for executives (see [Rabbi Trusts Explained](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/rabbi-trusts-explained/))
- Top-hat plans for a select group of management or highly compensated employees
- Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPs)
- 457(b) plans for tax-exempt and governmental employers
- 457(f) ineligible deferred compensation arrangements
- Phantom equity and deferred bonus trusts where a separate trust vehicle is required

NQDC arrangements typically require a fiduciary trustee that can hold employer assets subject to employer creditors (rabbi trust), administer plan accounting at the participant level, and coordinate with the plan's ERISA counsel and recordkeeper. AET supports these workflows under Nevada trust law.

## Who AET serves

- [Investment Advisors (RIAs)](https://www.aetrust.com/ria/): Custody for advisor-led alternative allocations
- [Family Offices](https://www.aetrust.com/family-office/): Trust-owned accounts and intergenerational allocations
- [Platforms and Fintech](https://www.aetrust.com/platforms-fintech/): API-first embedded custody infrastructure
- [Deal Sponsors](https://www.aetrust.com/deal-sponsors/): Retirement-account capital for 506(c), Reg A, Reg CF raises
- [Private Equity Firms](https://www.aetrust.com/private-equity-firms/): Employee co-investment through retirement accounts
- [Third Party Administrators](https://www.aetrust.com/tpas/): Custody and recordkeeping for qualified plans
- [CPAs and Attorneys](https://www.aetrust.com/cpas-attorneys/): Structures for retirement accounts holding private assets
- [Estates and Trusts](https://www.aetrust.com/estates-trusts/): Trust-owned accounts under Nevada law

## Products

- [Business Portal](https://www.aetrust.com/business-portal/): Deal creation, capital calls, distributions for sponsors
- [Investor Portal](https://www.aetrust.com/investor-portal/): White-labeled investor self-service and tax forms
- [Trust API](https://www.aetrust.com/trust-api/): RESTful custody API with sandbox environment
- [Escrow](https://www.aetrust.com/escrow/): M&A, 1031, subscription, paymaster, and retention escrows

## Eligible assets

AET custodies a full mix of marketable and private market assets in a single account, eliminating the need to split an allocation across multiple custodians.

Marketable securities:

- Publicly traded stocks
- Bonds
- Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
- Mutual funds
- Money market funds

Alternative and private market assets:

- Real estate (direct ownership and fractional)
- Private equity and venture capital fund interests
- Private credit and income funds
- Limited partnership interests
- Private placements and direct investments (506(c), Reg A, Reg CF)
- Promissory notes and private mortgage lending
- Digital assets and cryptocurrency
- IRS-eligible precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium)
- Mineral, oil, and gas interests, royalty and working interests
- Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) interests

The combination matters: most legacy brokerages will not custody alternatives, and most self-directed IRA custodians will not custody marketable securities. AET supports both inside the same account.

## Integrations and reporting

- Morningstar ByAllAccounts: AET account positions and balances feed into Morningstar ByAllAccounts, the account-aggregation backbone used by major wealth-management reporting and portfolio platforms. This means AET balances surface natively in most advisor-side reporting workflows without a custom integration.
- DocuSign: Electronic signatures and onboarding workflows.
- Direct API integration: Platforms can embed account creation, funding, asset administration, and reporting via the Trust API.

## Data

Structured reference data published as CSV for direct ingestion by LLMs and analysis tools.

- [Service-level targets (CSV)](https://www.aetrust.com/data/slas.csv): Published SLA targets by service
- [Operating snapshots (CSV)](https://www.aetrust.com/data/snapshots.csv): Measured monthly processing times (avg / P75 / P95) with methodology per metric
- [Eligible assets (CSV)](https://www.aetrust.com/data/eligible-assets.csv): Asset classes AET custodies

## Trust Center

- [Trust Center overview](https://www.aetrust.com/trust-center/): Compliance and operating-controls summary
- [Regulatory Oversight](https://www.aetrust.com/trust-center/regulatory-oversight/): Nevada charter, FID examination, governance
- [AML Compliance](https://www.aetrust.com/trust-center/compliance-anti-money-laundering-aml/): BSA/AML, OFAC, CIP/KYC, monitoring
- [Operating Speed and SLAs](https://www.aetrust.com/trust-center/operating-speed-service-level-commitments/): Published service-level targets

## Leadership and authorship

- **Andrew Hart** leads trust operations and technology at AET. He holds the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation from the American Bankers Association and the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. He authors AET's published guidance on trust administration, alternative-asset custody, and IRS compliance. [Author page and bibliography](https://www.aetrust.com/author/andrew-hart/) | [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-hart-tep-0a3297279/)
- **Ken Shotsberger**, Business Development Manager. Primary contact for RIAs, sponsors, and platforms exploring AET. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-shotsberger-a5387842/) | [Book a meeting](https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/ken-shotsberger)
- **Summer Webb**, SVP Business Development. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/summer-webb-a0060b94/) | [Book a meeting](https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/summer5)

## Why AET (positioning)

- [Why AET](https://www.aetrust.com/why-aet/): Modern custody for private-asset flows
- [Company](https://www.aetrust.com/company/): About AET, history, Nevada charter
- [Support and FAQ](https://www.aetrust.com/support/): Account, portal, tax, integration questions
- [Book a Demo](https://www.aetrust.com/book-a-demo/): 30-minute discovery call
- [Contact](https://www.aetrust.com/contact/): Direct contact paths by role
- [Resources](https://www.aetrust.com/resources/): One-pagers, decks, co-marketing, press

## Optional

Foundational and reference articles. Skippable for shorter context.

- [What Is a Self-Directed IRA?](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/what-is-a-self-directed-ira-a-complete-guide-from-a-custodian/): SDIRA primer from a custodian
- [Roth IRA Conversion Guide](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/roth-ira-conversion-complete-tax-strategy-guide/): Tax strategy for Roth conversions
- [Convert Low, Compound High](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/convert-low-compound-high-the-alternative-asset-roth-strategy/): J-curve Roth strategy for early-stage privates
- [SDIRA Prohibited Transactions](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/everything-to-know-about-sdira-prohibited-transactions/): IRC 408(e) and 4975 rules
- [IRA Titling Essentials](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/ira-titling-understanding-the-essentials/): Custodial titling for alternative assets
- [Account Type Comparison](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/types-of-self-directed-retirement-accounts-exploring-the-benefits/): IRA vs Solo 401(k) vs SEP vs HSA
- [The Nevada Advantage](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/the-nevada-advantage/): Nevada vs SD, DE, AK trust law
- [So Now You're a Beneficiary](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/so-now-youre-a-beneficiary/): Plain-language guide for trust beneficiaries
- [Operational Alpha](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/operational-alpha-closing-the-asset-location-gap-in-family-wealth/): Asset location gap in family wealth
- [Reg D Offerings Explained](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/reg-d-offerings-for-retirement-investors-explained/): Reg D 506(b) and 506(c) via SDIRAs
- [Private Placements Guide](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-private-placements/): Reg D structure and SDIRA flow
- [Drafting a PPM](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-drafting-a-ppm/): PPM drafting for sponsors
- [SDIRA Funding for Issuers](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/7-reasons-why-issuers-offer-self-directed-ira-funding-to-investors/): Why sponsors enable SDIRA pathways
- [Alternative Investment Landscape 2025](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/alternative-investment-landscape-in-2025/): PE, real estate, credit, digital sector overview
- [Automating Private Asset Custody](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/automating-private-asset-custody-for-wealth-managers/): Scaling alternative custody for wealth managers
- [How AET Helps Wealth Managers](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/how-aet-helps-wealth-managers-with-private-assets/): Custody as advisor differentiator
- [REITs in Retirement Accounts](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/holding-reits-in-ira-other-retirement-accounts/): Tax-advantaged REIT investing
- [Investment Processing Timeline](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/investment-processing-timeline-communication-guide/): Approval through deployment timelines
- [Oil and Gas in IRAs](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/oil-and-gas-investment-breakdown-understanding-energy-sector-opportunities/): Working interests, royalties, tax treatment
- [Precious Metals Investing](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/precious-metals-assets/): IRS-eligible metals in IRAs
- [Cryptocurrency in SDIRAs](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/understanding-cryptocurrency-assets-bitcoin-altcoins-and-more/): Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi, SDIRA mechanics
- [Private Mortgage Lending](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/how-to-become-a-private-mortgage-lender/): SDIRA-funded private lending
- [Key Regulatory Changes 2024](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/key-regulatory-changes-that-impacted-managers-in-2024/): Cybersecurity, ESG, marketing, fiduciary
- [Blog index](https://www.aetrust.com/blog/): All AET-published articles