Living trusts (also known as “revocable trusts”) have become one of the most popular estate planning tools in Nevada. It’s common to see a living trust used as the central component of most estate plans, replacing the will as the primary method for transferring property to heirs. When properly funded and structured, living trusts provide a number of benefits that make them the quickest and most efficient way to pass assets to the next generation.
In this article, we’ll answer the question “What is a living trust?” and, in the process, help you decide if a living trust is right for you. If you are interested in setting up a living trust, contact our Reno living trust lawyer to schedule a free initial consultation. Our team of experienced trusts attorneys has years of experience helping people just like you set up their future.
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding living trusts, and for good reason. Living trusts – and trusts in general – are a very unique concept.
Most people like to think of a trust as a legal entity, similar to a corporation. And many lawyers in Reno will even explain trusts using this analogy. Although thinking of a trust this way can make it easier to conceptualize, it’s not technically correct. We’re going to take a different approach and give you a true explanation of trust in general and living trusts in particular.
So, here it is: A “trust” is an agreement between three parties: the settlor, the trustee, and the beneficiary. Under this agreement, the settlor transfers property to the trustee, who then promises to hold such property on behalf of the beneficiary. The agreement is usually put in writing to formalize this relationship, but it’s not actually required.
Let’s look at a simple example: Bob has $10,000 that he wants his daughter to use for college. He could give the money to her, but he’s afraid she’ll spend it on something else. So, Bob gives the $10,000 to his friend Dave with instructions to wait until his daughter is old enough for college and then use the money to pay for tuition and/or books. Dave agrees to do this for his friend Bob.
As simple as it sounds, Bob has just created a trust in which he is the Settlor, Dave is the Trustee, and his daughter is the beneficiary. Even though it would be a good idea for Bob to put the terms of their deal in writing so that Dave can’t just run off with the money, it’s not mandatory. A trust has been created either way.
So, what’s the difference between a trust and a living trust? Nothing. A living trust is just the name used for a trust that is created by the settlor while he or she is alive. So, most trusts are actually “living trusts.” The alternative is called a “testamentary trust,” which is created after death by operation of a Last Will and Testament.
The other term frequently used is “revocable trust.” This is actually the more accurate accurate name. “Revocable” just means that the trust can be amended or terminated. Since most living trusts are revocable, it’s common to hear them referred to as a “revocable trust” as well.
A living trust is relatively easy to create. Unlike a corporation or LLC, you do not have to make any special filings with the government or pay any fees to create a living trust.
It’s really quite simple. To create a living trust in Reno, all you have to do is sign and notarize a written trust agreement and then transfer some property to the trustee. The trust agreement needs to identify the name of the trust, the person who will serve as the initial trustee, and the person or persons who will be the beneficiaries of the trust. Other terms are also typically included, such as rules for the trustee to follow and other specialized terms depending on the goals of the Settlor in setting up the living trust.
We’ll cover how to transfer property into a trust in just a moment.
An interesting point to make here is that with a living trust, the Settlor, Trustee, and Beneficiary are most often the same person (you). That is, you can transfer your property to yourself as a trustee and hold the property for your own benefit. That might seem pretty strange, but it’s 100% legitimate under the law. You are free to add other beneficiaries and trustees as you desire, but the majority of living trusts are set up with the settlor, trustee, and beneficiary all being the same person (or persons in the case of married couples).
In order to create a living trust in Reno, you must transfer property to the trustee. For most living trusts, this means that you will actually be transferring the property to yourself – but as trustee. This means that you no longer personally own the property in the trust, but your name still appears on the title with the words “trustee” after it. That might sound strange, but it’s just the way things work. Here’s some more detailed information:
For personal property that does not have a legal title (jewelry, artwork, antiques), the transfer can be done by a simple document that says something to the effect of “I, John Doe, hereby transfer to John Doe as trustee of the John Doe Living Trust, all of my tangible personal property now owned or acquired by me in the future.”
For other types of property that are titled in your name, such as real property, bank accounts, and cars – the transfer is done simply by changing the name of the title to “John Doe, trustee of the John Doe Living Trust.” The procedure for changing the name depends on the type of asset, but it is generally the same procedure as if you had sold the property to a third party.
Some types of property are transferred by changing the beneficiary designation instead of the title or ownership. These include life insurance policies, retirement accounts (IRAs, 401(k), etc.), and pension benefits. To transfer the property, you simply change the name of the beneficiary from “John Doe” to “John Doe, trustee of the John Doe Living Trust.”
Just remember that the creation of a living trust is not complete until the property is transferred into it. This makes the “funding of the trust” a very important step that, unfortunately, many people overlook when setting up their living trust on their own.
Many people in Reno think a trust is only useful for multi-millionaires who want to set up a “trust fund” for their children. However, this is far from the truth. Trusts can be just as valuable in estate planning for families without millions of dollars as they are for those who do.
The most often cited benefit of a living trust is the ability to avoid probate after your death. In case you don’t know, “probate” is the legal process of distributing your property after you die. Because probate is court-supervised, it’s a long, expensive, and drawn-out process that can cost thousands of dollars in legal fees and take months to finally complete.
With a living trust, you get to skip to probate. This is because you technically don’t own any property in your name, so there’s no need for the probate process. Instead, the new trustee of your living trust will take care of distributing your property according to the instructions you leave. You can specify who, what, when, and how your property will be given away by the living trust after your death — all of which gets to happen outside of probate and free of court supervision.
A living trust also provides excellent disability planning. Imagine if you were in a car accident on the way home and ended up in a coma or other incapacitated state; who will take care of your financial affairs, pay bills, and manage your property? Hopefully, your spouse has access to these types of things already, but maybe you’re the one in charge of that kind of thing in your household. Or worse yet, what if your spouse is in the same accident and is dead or similarly incapacitated? How does your mortgage get paid? Who will pay for your kids’ school expenses?
With a living trust, it’s easy for the person you appoint as successor trustee to step in and take over control and management of your financial affairs. He or she can access your bank account to pay bills, make sure the kid’s tuition is paid, etc. This avoids the need to spend thousands of dollars in court to have a guardian or conservator appointed and allows your family to manage your affairs without much hassle or interruption.
Another benefit of using a living trust is that it allows you to control when your heirs receive their inheritance and how it is spent. As mentioned above, after your death, your assets will continue to be owned by the trustee of your trust. Instead of distributing everything right away, you can easily set up a living trust to hold onto assets like your house, your 401(k), or your life insurance payout until your kids (or other heirs) are old enough and mature enough to receive these assets. You can also have the living trust pay for things like health insurance and college during this time, which can help make sure the assets aren’t squandered on things like luxury cars and partying.
Unfortunately, a revocable living trust does not provide any level of asset protection. This is a major misconception about living trusts. The property you transfer into a living trust is not protected from creditors. Note that there are other kinds of trusts that can be used to provide asset protection if that’s something you’re interested in doing.
The honest truth that most estate planning attorneys in Reno would never say is that not everyone needs a living trust. The fact is that living trusts are great and offer a lot of benefits, but they are also fairly expensive to set up, and the benefits don’t always outweigh the costs.
So, here are some general guidelines for when a living trust is usually a good idea (keep in mind these are just guidelines, and you should still seek legal advice if you are considering a living trust):
At the very least, parents in this situation should have a Will that creates a testamentary trust for their kids if the unthinkable happens, but generally, it is better to set up a living trust ahead of time to help save on probate costs and preserve as much of the assets as possible for their children to use when growing up.
This is because estates of more than $100,000 have to go through a more lengthy version of probate that is more expensive and time-consuming than probate for smaller estates. For example, an estate of $350,000 would typically incur $10,000 just in attorney’s fees during the probate process. That’s money that could’ve gone to your kids, grandkids, or other family members instead of an attorney’s pocket.
For individuals and families who don’t fit into one of the above categories, other options than a living trust might be preferable. Discuss this decision with an attorney before proceeding one way or the other.
At Cross Law Group, we help clients with living trusts on an almost daily basis. If you’d like assistance setting up a living trust or just want to discuss your situation and learn if a living trust is right for you, contact us today to speak with a Reno living trust lawyer or use the menu to the right for more information on our specific estate planning services.