Trusts

Trusts offer flexibility, privacy, and potential tax benefits that wills cannot. Learn whether a trust belongs in your estate plan.

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Expert information to help you understand your rights and options

Getting Started

Trusts Guide: Understanding Different Trust Types and When You Need One

Trusts offer benefits wills cannot—avoiding probate, protecting assets, minimizing taxes, and providing for beneficiaries with special needs. Learn the difference between revocable and irrevocable trusts, how trusts work, and whether a trust makes sense for your estate planning goals.

4 min read

Administration

Trust Administration: Trustee Duties, Accounting, and Distribution Requirements

Serving as trustee carries significant legal responsibilities including fiduciary duties, record-keeping, tax filing, and proper distributions. Mismanagement can result in personal liability. Learn trustee duties after the grantor death, timeline for administration, and beneficiary communication requirements.

4 min read

Types

Irrevocable Trusts: Asset Protection, Tax Benefits, and Giving Up Control

Irrevocable trusts remove assets from your estate for tax and creditor protection purposes—but you generally cannot change them once created. Learn when irrevocable trusts make sense, types including ILITs and GRATs, Medicaid planning implications, and trustee selection considerations.

4 min read

Revocable Living Trusts: Avoiding Probate While Maintaining Control

Revocable living trusts let you avoid probate while retaining full control of assets during your lifetime. You can change or revoke the trust at any time. Learn how to fund your trust properly, successor trustee selection, and whether pour-over wills are necessary as backup.

5 min read

Special Needs Trusts: Preserving Government Benefits for Disabled Beneficiaries

Leaving assets directly to someone receiving SSI or Medicaid can disqualify them from benefits. Special needs trusts preserve eligibility while providing supplemental funds. Learn first-party vs third-party SNTs, what expenses the trust can pay, and trustee responsibilities for compliance.

4 min read