I’m Moving Out of State… Is My Trust Still Good?
I’m Moving Out Of State “Is my trust still good?” I get this question all the time when clients move to my state of North Carolina, or when my clients are moving to other states. The question really is “Do I need to update my estate plan?” In this video, I cover the checklist process […]
Should A Law Firm Be Your Trustee?
This is actually a question that came up in a Reddit Format, so we’re going to go ahead and go through the question and some of the comments. Executor and Alternate Trustee – “We’re working with a law firm to create a living trust. We are having a hard time choosing an executor and alternate trustee. […]
Who Should Be Your Trustee?
And The One Thing You Should NEVER Do One of the most important estate planning items on your checklist is choosing the right trustees to handle things if you become incapacitated or pass on. But how do you go about choosing them? Should you pick an attorney? Your children? Your best friend? I go through […]
The Married ABC Trust and Tax ID Numbers
A big thanks to a subscriber who sent in a question about the “Married ABC Trust” and how the tax ID numbers work. In this video, I explain how the trust works while both members of a married couple are alive, and then how the tax-saving A, B, and C subtrust “compartments” work when the […]
DIY Trust Disaster Waiting To Happen
I occasionally go on Reddit and respond to posts in the r/estateplanning section. This time, it was to help warn someone about trying to do their own trust by getting a form online. Unfortunately, they didn’t know what they didn’t know, and despite the pleas of commentators suggesting that they get a lawyer, they took […]
NFTs and Revocable Living Trusts
One of the hot new investment trends is NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens. Because it is so new, questions come up about how this investment is funded into a revocable living trust. In this video, I run through the basics of NFTs and how they need to be titled to work with your revocable living trust […]
EINs and Trusts
Do I Need a Tax ID Number? This question keeps coming up… “Does a trust need a separate taxpayer identification number?” It depends. In general… * Revocable Living Trusts do not need an EIN/Taxpayer ID if the Trustor(s) are still alive: As long as that person is alive, it is their trust, they are the trustees, […]
The Importance of Trust Funding For Your Estate
[Please note that this is a frequent “reprint” article for our office. We intentionally re-release this important information every six months to our clients through the newsletter and blog to emphasize how critical asset titling and beneficiary designation selection is to make sure a revocable living trust plan is properly maintained. If you have any […]
“In-Law Protection” Estate Plans Provide More Than Divorce Insurance
Estate Plans With In-Law Protection In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of clients wanting to secure their inheritance across two generations, mainly to make sure that their estate does not eventually end up in the hands of a son-in-law or daughter-in-law after they have passed on. By protecting each […]
DIY Fixes Can Destroy an Estate Plan
DIY Estate Plan There are many Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects that can help save money without any significant downsides. Unfortunately, when you are not an attorney, drafting your own legal documents can lead to disastrous results. Here are some problem areas I have regrettably seen: A Last Will and Testament has some typical, standard language that […]