Creating a living trust is not difficult or expensive, but it requires some paperwork. After a revocable living trust is created, little daily record keeping is required. Switching Assets to a Revocable Trust Won't Save Income or Wealth Taxes. While assets held in an irrevocable trust are generally out of reach of creditors, that is not true with a revocable trust.
But there are also some potential downsides to using a revocable living trust. The underlying principle of a living trust is that the grantor's estate is in the hands of the trust company. Therefore, IRAs, retirement plans, and jointly owned assets cannot be included in a living trust. If you don't have or plan to use any of these assets, it shouldn't be a problem.
But if you do, you'll have to look for an alternative estate planning tool. One of the downsides of a trust is the additional paperwork. For a living trust to be effective, you must ensure that ownership of all assets in the trust is legally transferred to you as a trustee. If an asset has a title (real estate, stock, mutual funds), you must change the title to prove that the property is now owned by the Trust.
Let's say you want to put your house in the Trust. To do this, you must prepare and sign a new deed to transfer the property to you as a trustee of the Trust. In the end, a little extra paperwork and recordkeeping is worth a lot more than the time and money that will be lost on probate, not to mention the stress your family will have to go through to access your assets after you die. According to LegalZoom, Florida requires that all revocable living trusts be witnessed by two persons and notarized.
Because they avoid probate court, revocable living trusts offer a higher level of privacy compared to other estate planning tools, such as last will and will. Forming a living revocable trust involves appointing a successor trustee, someone who will step in and manage the trust for you if the time comes when you can no longer take care of your personal affairs on your own. However, with a living revocable trust, the statute of limitations is usually 1 to 5 years, sometimes even longer. In general, the disadvantages of a trust are significantly offset by the numerous advantages that are created by having a living trust.
The main disadvantages associated with trusts are their perception of irrevocability, loss of control over assets placed in trust and their costs. Instead of putting this decision in the hands of the probate court, which may or may not transfer the property to the children, the father can create a revocable living trust, stating exactly who receives what and when. This is the main drawback of using a revocable living trust for many people, but it's not worth the time, money, and effort to create it if the trust isn't fully funded. In addition, a revocable living trust not only allows you to maintain control of your assets, but because it is revocable, it can be canceled or changed at any time.
After creating a revocable trust, the assets must be re-titled in the trust's name because assets that are not formally held in the trust still have to go through probate and will not be under the management of a successor trustee in the event of disability. Most of the advantages of a living trust significantly outweigh any disadvantages, but you should still consider them when analyzing your estate planning options. You will need to check with your respective state to determine whether or not notarization is required for a revocable living trust. With a living revocable trust, assets can be distributed to the grantor and, upon death, a “successor trustee” distributes assets in accordance with the trust's statutory dictates.
Compared to a last will and will, creating revocable living trusts requires more work and time. .
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