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Can I designate shares as non-beneficially owned? How do I show nominee arrangements?

I have a situation where shares are held by a nominee on behalf of the real owner. The legal owner and beneficial owner are different.

Is there a way to mark shares as non-beneficially owned in StructureGram?

27 December 2025 at 12:55 am

1 Answer

Great question! While there isn't a direct "non-beneficial" checkbox on shares, you can accurately represent nominee/bare trust arrangements using the structure itself.

The Bare Trust Approach

The recommended way to show non-beneficial ownership is to create a bare trust between the legal holder and the beneficial owner:

Step 1: Create the Bare Trust

  1. Go to TrustsAdd Trust
  2. Name it appropriately (e.g., "Smith Nominee Trust" or "ABC Bare Trust")
  3. Set the trust type as Bare Trust

Step 2: Set Up the Relationships

  1. The nominee/legal holder is the Trustee of the bare trust
  2. The bare trust holds the shares in the company
  3. The real/beneficial owner is the Beneficiary of the bare trust

Step 3: Add the Shareholding

  1. Go to the Company
  2. Add the bare trust as a shareholder (not the nominee directly)
  3. Specify the shares held

How It Looks on the Diagram

The diagram will show:

Beneficial Owner → (beneficiary of) → Bare Trust → (shareholder) → Company
                                          ↑
                                    Nominee (trustee)

This accurately represents the legal structure: the nominee holds legal title as trustee, while the beneficial owner has the equitable interest through the bare trust.

Tip: Add a note to the bare trust description explaining the nominee arrangement for clarity.

27 December 2025 at 01:55 am

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Can I designate shares as non-beneficially owned? How do I show nominee arrangements? — StructureGram Community