Category: Living Trust

Talk to Your Family over the Holidays about Your Estate Plan

Many of us labor a lifetime to build up our assets and fight for causes that matter to us. Few things are more fulfilling than the thought of sharing wealth and legacy with our family.

Of course, it’s impossible to plan for every eventuality, but careful planning can mitigate against the two primary risks.

Who Will Inherit Your Financial Wisdom?

Many people who inherit wealth or small businesses are at significant risk for essentially squandering the wealth. An Ohio University study shows that an astonishing 33 percent1 of all beneficiaries lose their entire inheritance within two years of receiving it. The ways they manage to do so are as varied as the imagination, but in our experience we have seen a common thread: mismanagement.

Don’t Let Your Living Trust Go Stale

If you have already set up your living trust – congratulations! Having a living trust can save your loved ones from having to go through a long, costly and public probate and/or conservatorship court proceeding. A living trust and other essential estate planning documents also make your wishes clear, minimizing the potential for hard feelings between family members. These reasons along with others clearly outline the benefit of having a living trust, but don’t let your living trust go stale!

Is your trust funded?

A trust avoids probate, but an empty trust does not. What do I mean by that? You have probably heard me say that a trust is like a bucket and you need to fill it with your assets for it to avoid probate. Retitling your assets to your trust is referred to as “funding” your trust. In this newsletter, I’ll explain more about the funding process as well as which assets to retitle into the trust.