Probate can be a time-consuming and often costly process when administering your estate if you have a will. What if there were a way to specify when and how you want your children to receive their inheritance, who will manage it while they are younger, all while avoiding the tedious probate process?  That’s where a Living Trust comes into play.

A Living Trust is a set of instructions from you designed to authorize someone you designate as “trustee” to administer your trust estate in the event of you become incapacitated or in the event of your death.  Assets that are titled to a Living Trust generally do not have to go through Probate—thus avoiding many of the unnecessary costs and delays associated with the probate process.

However, there are other reasons besides avoiding Probate to have a Living Trust, including protecting beneficiaries from future creditors, lawsuits, divorce, or disability, or providing for the continuing administration of the estate for a minor beneficiary. In addition, privacy and reduced costs of administration are often additional advantages of a Living Trust.

There are many different types of Living Trusts that may be used for different purposes. 

Additional Information:

To learn more about common estate planning issues, check out our free guide, Estate Planning Pitfalls: The 12 Most Common Threats to Your Estate & Your Family's Future, or to discuss your estate planning concerns, please call our office at 919-443-3035 or use our contact form.

Jackie Bedard
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Attorney, Author, and Founder of Carolina Family Estate Planning