In last week’s column, I answered a reader’s question about how he could avoid probate. The key, I stated, was to make a list of every asset you own and then make sure each asset would transfer by either title or beneficiary designation. For example, if you owned a piece of real estate in your name, and you wanted it to go to your child at your death and avoid probate on that property, you’d need to add the child to the deed as a joint owner. I added that you need to be very careful to avoid adverse tax consequences and you should have a professional advisor help you.
A little more complicated strategy is to set up a revocable living trust. These trusts are extremely popular in high probate costs states such as California and New York. In the typical living trust, you set up the trust and make yourself the trustee. You then retitle your property in the name of the trust. Once this is completed, you manage your property as you always have, with one or two key exceptions. One of the key ingredients in the living trust is that you will name a successor trustee in the event of your death or incapacity. Having this successor trustee is similar to the power of attorney also discussed in last week’s column. Here’s an overview of some of the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy:
Advantages
- Any property that you transfer to your living trust will avoid the probate process altogether. This means you avoid some expenses and lengthy delays as they relate to the property owned by the living trust.
- Because property placed in a living trust is not subject to probate, your records are not made public. If you prefer to keep your financial matters out of the public eye, a living trust is an excellent tool.
- At your death there are minimal time delays incurred in transferring assets to heirs. The assets are already in your trust, and the only thing that changes is your trustee. The trustee is someone whom you have selected.
- Should you become incompetent due to an accident or illness, your living trust can provide for a quick transfer of management of your assets.
- A living trust is simple to establish. Any attorney versed in estate planning should be able to set up one.
- Generally, it is more difficult for someone to challenge a trust than to challenge a will.
- Living trusts have low maintenance costs. A living trust is treated much the same as outright ownership of property for income tax purposes. If you are your own trustee, there are not any additional taxes, tax returns, or other costs associated with your living trust.
- Without a living trust, if you own property in multiple states, you may face probate in each of those states. Since a living trust avoids probate altogether, you avoid this problem.
- If your job causes you to move from state to state, your living trust removes the necessity of having to draw a new will every time you change your state of residence.
Disadvantages
Two of the most-often cited disadvantages of the living trust are the costs to draft the trust and the time and costs of transferring your property into the trust.
- Costs- with a living trust your attorney must draft both the trust document and a will. The reason for the will is that at death it ‘sweeps’ into your trust any assets that you might have failed to retitle in the name of your trust while you were alive. The result of drafting two documents often means more fees than just doing a will alone but in the long run it may not be any more expensive and might even be less expensive since you avoid the expenses associated with probate.
- Time and effort- The key to a successful living trust is to actually transfer all of your assets into your trust while you’re alive. It does take time but if you don’t do it now, someone will have to do it at your death.
There are a number of other intricacies that you should consider related to the living trust but if avoiding probate, privacy and management continuity are of concern to you, the living trust is worth a look.
The preceding is a modified excerpt from “J.K. Lasser’s New Rules for Estate, Retirement and Tax Planning”, which I co-authored.