Designed to provide more privacy and legal protection than wills do, that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the ins, outs, and advantages of living trusts. Understanding what this document is and how it works can help you determine if it’s the right option for you. Learn the basics.
One of the main advantages of undertaking estate planning is the avoidance of the probate process. Probate is the procedure by which a specialized or district court undertakes the distribution of a dead person’s belongings, which includes real estate, the contents of bank accounts, and personal items. The probate process can be unsettling, public, tiring, …
Have you ever seen a TV show in which a living trust is dramatically unsealed? Probably not. Living trusts usually don’t make fodder for great drama because they are typically undertaken precisely to avoid the messy, lengthy probate process. In probate, a county court determines whether or not a last will and testament is valid, …
The goal of most people who take on estate planning is to pass on their assists with as little worry, delay, or cost as possible. Many look for ways to ensure that their assets are non-probate assets or non-probate property. These are kinds of property that pass directly to those you have named as your …
We all know it’s important to provide care for our loved ones after we’re gone. For some that means to leave a legacy to our favorite charity to help sustain causes we’ve supported throughout our lives. We know we need to leave a valid will and maybe even a living trust to avoid probate, but …
Pour-over wills provide peace of mind for both you and anyone else who stands to inherit all or part of your estate. They are so named because any assets not specified in a valid last-will-and-testament will “pour over” into a living trust, and thereby into the hands of the intended recipient(s). How Are Pour-Over Wills …
A living trust is a complicated estate planning document meant to provide an individual with a large and complex estate the means through which to plan their family’s inheritance, in a way that affords greater flexibility than a last will and testament or most other documents. Trusts are drafted and signed by a grantor and …
Less than a third of American adults have their estate in proper order, with a plan in place to ensure that should anything happen, their family can rest assured that a major source of stress and strife has been eliminated. The misconception that estate planning is only for the old and wealthy needs to be …
Living trusts are excellent estate planning documents with a lot of flexibility and utility. Through a living trust, wealthy individuals with very complicated estates can better control how their wealth is passed on, and ensure that their will – as in, what they want – is properly communicated past their death. But a living trust …
When it comes to estate planning, living trusts are an incredibly reliable tool for ensuring that your estate is protected against probate, and ready to pass into the hands of your loved ones. However, setting up a living trust takes a little time, and a few resources. Let’s go over the basics of setting up …
Upon death, a person’s belongings pass through the probate process to clarify and establish the contents of the estate on record and determine who gets what. Without any documents indicating the decedent’s will, the state determines how an estate is distributed as per existing intestate laws. If a will exists, it passes through probate and …