The Truth About Trusts

Most people want the upper hand in guiding their assets during their lives and after they pass. A trust might be able to help.

Start With the Intention

A trust is a legal structure that holds your assets and carries your instructions for their use and distribution. Trusts are designed to direct what you've built where you want it to, on your terms, without your family waiting for a court to sort it out.

What a Trust Can Do

Depending on how it's set up, a trust can help keep parts of your estate out of probate and off the public record, provide for a surviving spouse while preserving your wishes for what comes after, or release an inheritance gradually rather than all at once.

Without a trust, most estates pass through probate, a court-supervised process. The cost of probate surprises some people, but a properly funded trust is often structured to sidestep much of that.

Less Complicated Than It Sounds

The structure is the straightforward part. The more personal question is what you actually want to happen, and for whom.

If you'd like to talk through how a trust fits into your broader picture, we can do that. Bring your household and your questions. 

Using a trust involves a complex set of tax rules and regulations. So, we will want to consider working with a professional who is familiar with the relevant rules and regulations.