Wills & Trusts
Revocable Living Trust
A Revocable Living Trust based estate plan provides instructions that will allow you to:
- Control your property while you are alive
- Take care of you and your loved ones in the event of disability
- Pass your property to your heirs when and how you want while maintaining privacy
- Ensure that you and your spouse have sufficient assets to maintain your standard of living now and in retirement.
- Maintain maximum control and flexibility during your lifetime.
- Provide for you in the event you become disabled.
- Simplify administration as much as possible upon your death or disability (avoiding probate & guardianship).
- Avoid having your private matters being made public unnecessarily.
- Ensure that the efforts you desire are used to save your life.
- Have your property continue to benefit the survivor after one of you dies.
- If married, protect your assets so that they cannot be lost as a result of remarriage after the death of one of you.
- Ensure that the persons you select in fact become the guardians of your minor children.
- Protect your children’s or grandchildren’s inheritance from mismanagement.
- Structure your children’s or grandchildren’s inheritance in such a way that it installs values and virtues.
- Educate your children and grandchildren.
- Reduce the risk of litigation from heirs who receive less than they think they are entitled to.
- Minimize income taxes to the extent possible.
- Avoid or minimize capital gain tax on the sale of assets.
- Eliminate as much estate tax as possible.
Will
A will – or a ‘last will and testament’ – is a legal document that tells the probate court how you want your property distributed after you die, and who has the power and responsibility to wrap up your affairs. Through the probate process the court will give the ‘executor’ of your will the authority to gather all of your property, pay any remaining creditors’ bills, and distribute your remaining property as you specify in your will.
Because the will takes effect only after a court determined that it is a valid document, a judge must act before your executor can step in and manage your estate.