Who We Are
GSS Trust has provided professional fiduciary services since 1985. As a Washington State Chartered Trust Company, our financial activities are regulated by the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). Our core services include Trust Administration, Probate Estate Administration, Powers of Attorney for Finance and Healthcare, and Contract Services for Financial Management and Care Management. In addition to private client relationships, we are often appointed by the courts to serve as Trustee for Special Needs Trusts for individuals with disabilities and Settlement Trusts for minor children. We are also a Certified Professional Guardianship Conservatorship Agency, and in select cases, serve as Guardian and Conservator.
With over 30 employees and over $500 million in assets under management, we are the largest regulated trust company in Washington that offers in-house care management. Our financial records, accounting practices, and internal controls undergo an independent audit by an outside CPA firm annually.
Our History
GSS Trust was founded in Seattle in 1985 by Tom O’Brien and Edward Gardner. Tom and Ed worked together at a nonprofit foundation providing fiduciary services to the public and decided to set out together to form their own business.
In the 1980s, GSS began as a guardianship agency, serving as court-appointed guardian for vulnerable adults in need of financial and care management services. Due to its expertise in serving vulnerable clients, GSS quickly became one of the go-to fiduciaries trusted by the courts and legal community to serve as Trustee for special needs trusts and settlement trusts for minors.
As the Washington courts and legal community shifted their emphasis towards “less restrictive alternatives” to guardianship, GSS’s clientele became increasingly comprised of trust accounts and other private client relationships. Using its expertise and infrastructure developed from serving guardianship clients and court-monitored trusts, GSS developed core competencies in its primary service offerings of trust administration, probate estate administration, durable powers of attorney, and contract financial and care management.
In 2001, GSS’s owners decided to expand and purchased a competitor, Partners in Care. Since Partners in Care (PIC) had its own distinct brand and reputation, GSS elected to maintain PIC as a separate “sister” company. In 2023, GSS determined its clients and business would be better served under one corporate entity, and merged PIC with GSS to streamline operations.
In 2016 GSS received its Washington State trust company charter from the Department of Financial Institutions. Since receiving the charter, GSS has been increasingly appointed by families to serve on trusts and estates that historically would have been handled by a bank trust department.
In June 2026, GSS changed its name from Guardianship Services of Seattle to GSS Trust. The decision came down to something attorneys in our community had been telling us for years: the word “guardianship” was turning clients away due to its connotations as perceived by the public. The change to GSS Trust is also because guardianships only make up a small part of our practice, especially in comparison to trusts. In addition, we want to clearly identify ourselves as a trust company. Most importantly, we wanted to retain the name GSS, as that is how most professionals in the community have referred to us since our founding in 1985.
Succession Plan
Since 1985
GSS Trust is not a sole practitioner whose practice would dissolve upon retirement or death. GSS is a regulated trust company with planned, intentional transition of leadership built into our organizational structure. Our current leadership includes both founding generation and second-generation family members who have been embedded in the organization for over a decade, along with a highly trained class of managers with decades of experience at GSS.
As a regulated trust company, GSS is required to have two independent directors with no ownership connections to our business on our Board of Directors at all times. Should a catastrophic event impact our leadership, our Board of Directors and regulators at the DFI are available to ensure continuity and appoint new leadership. GSS is required to maintain a current succession plan policy with identified successors for key employee roles at all times.
Stability By The Numbers
Our Board of Directors
As a state-chartered trust company, GSS Trust maintains an active Board of Directors. The board provides independent governance oversight of management decisions, fee practices, investment policy, and organizational risk. Board members include both family leadership and independent directors with expertise in law, finance, and fiduciary practice.
A Team, Not a Person
Every GSS Trust client relationship is managed by a dedicated staff member who serves as the client and family’s primary point of contact, but every client account is supported by the entire organization. Our team of 30+ professionals includes financial managers, care managers, property managers, investment managers, and administrative staff. We have policies, procedures, and processes to ensure reliable and responsive continuity of service. All case files, correspondence, and financial records are maintained in our secure, centralized systems.
What Happens If GSS Trust Sells or Ceases to Operate?
While we have no intention of going anywhere, it is important to address this question directly. As a state-chartered trust company, GSS Trust operates under the regulatory oversight of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). We cannot simply stop operations, and any sale to another trust company, which we have no plans to do, would be overseen by our regulators. This regulatory protection is not available for unchartered agencies or independent professional fiduciary services. Were GSS to ever sell or merge, the acquiring trust company would step into any roles for which you have nominated GSS Trust.