The main function of a trust is to manage assets on behalf of their owner for the benefit of the beneficiaries. For this purpose, a trust may choose any activities it deems effective and advantageous, unless the relevant contract specifies otherwise. Some of the functions of a trust include:

Managing finances
Managing investments
Paying bills
Accounting
Preparing financial reports
Distributing profits
In addition, a trust can perform almost any other management function specified by the contract. Depending on the particular case, they may also offer financial planning, tax optimisation schemes and similar services.

Trusts can be useful to anyone who possesses considerable assets. Trusts are usually set up to secure assets and property and to optimise taxation. They also have inheritance applications: assets held in trust do not require probate as they are no longer part of the settlor’s estate, and so are unaffected by the contents of his/her will.

Benefits and features of trusts
Other than the specific purposes for which trusts can be used, there are some common benefits that apply to all types of trust:

Anonymity. In most countries, the content of wills as well as the names of the owners of real estate or other assets are publicly available. The names of the beneficiaries of the trust usually remain unknown, and therefore using a trust to hold real estate or distribute assets allows you to maintain your privacy.
Suppression of income. The ability to transfer all property and assets to the trust allows you to declare an insufficient availability of personal assets and to apply, for example, for a lower tax rate.
Tax avoidance. In many offshore jurisdictions, trustees are not obliged to report the income of the trust to the tax authorities of the country in which the beneficiaries reside.
Charity. In some countries, all property handed over to a charity is required to be managed under a trust.
Capital preservation. Trusts can be used to protect the beneficiaries (for example, the settlor's children) from their own inability to manage the funds. The conditions of the trust can prescribe limits on the use of the money or the age when the beneficiaries acquire the authority to dispose of the funds and utilise the assets.