Which of the following is NOT a general power of appointment?

• A. The power to appoint property at death to one's own estate
• B. The power to appoint to a specified class of beneficiaries not to include the decedent, his estate nor his creditors
• C. The power to demand the greater of $5,000 or 5% of the trust corpus
• D. The power to appoint assets to your creditors at your death

Answer: (B)

A general power of appointment is broad: the holder can appoint property to almost anyone, including the holder themselves, their estate, or their creditors. That breadth is what characterizes a general power.

The statement describing a power that can appoint to a specified class of beneficiaries but explicitly excludes the decedent, the decedent’s estate, and the decedent’s creditors is not broad enough to be a general power. By design, it limits who can receive, rather than allowing the holder to direct assets to themselves or to their own estate or creditors. Because it excludes the key broad recipients that a general power covers, it’s considered a limited or special power, not a general one.