How do you set up a trust fund for an inheritance?

Wanting to set up a trust fund for my ex-stepdaughter without her knowing it's from me?

• My ex-wife passed away recently, and while there were serious issues that destroyed our marriage (she was unfaithful to me), I always did and still love her daughter Annie as if she were my own child. I have come into a substantial amount of money recently and would like to set up a trust fund to pay for Annie's college expenses but don't want her to know it's from me. It has been several years since I have been in contact with Annie since her mother and I divorced and since Annie is just finishing high school this spring I don't want to complicate her life any more than it already is by putting myself back on her radar, so to speak---I just want to set a fund up for her and have her notified that the fund has been set up for her, as I know from many sources that her mother's death left her without much financial resources. How difficult is it to set up a trust anonymously for someone else, and are there any issues that could complicate my giving this fund to her? I want to offer it to her with no strings attached but with the strong suggestion that she use it for college. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

• Answer:

  A lawyer can arrange that for you.