Estate Planning

Revocable Living Trusts

A trust dictates exactly how an individual’s property will be managed, allocated, and distributed throughout his or her lifetime or upon death. A “living” trust entails that an individual created the trust while he or she was still alive. The trust is designated as “revocable” in that the trust creator reserves the right to make changes to, amend, or even revoke the trust during his or her lifetime. A Revocable Living Trust eliminates challenges to the trust. The standard will may cause family disputes after your passing and may be challenged for modification by any member of your family. By utilizing a trust, you can particularly disinherit any individual who posts a challenge to your desires upon your demise. If you would like to establish a Revocable Living Trust, it is very important to secure the advice and guidance of a Fremont estate planning attorney. A knowledgeable attorney will help you determine the best terms of your trust agreement and ensure that your Revocable Living Trust follows state and federal guidelines.

The Benefits of a Revocable Living Trust

A revocable living trust is an effective tool as you start your estate planning process. This is particularly helpful for individuals who are beginning to plan their estate and are not yet confident who exactly to name as beneficiaries.

Revocable Living Trust is Flexible

One of the main advantages of a revocable living trust is that it gives the creator the ability to undo or alter the terms of the trust. A number of circumstances may arise that call for a change to be made to the trust agreement. A marriage, divorce, illness, death, or even a simple change of mind can necessitate an amendment to the trust. A revocable trust can be utilized to control a guardian’s spending habits for the benefit of your minor children. You can restrict the number of withdrawals to income only, with special emergency provisions if you want.

Revocable Living Trusts Avoid Probate

If you have a will when you pass, your assets will go through probate. This is a court proceeding where your assets are distributed per your conditions. Probate is a relatively slow procedure that can take several months.

By establishing a revocable trust, you can also avoid the complicated and lengthy probate administration process and the fees and expenses that usually accompany this process. Your successor trustee will certainly pass your assets on to your beneficiaries without the need to wait for a court order. That generally implies a quick and reasonable process for your beneficiaries.

Revocable Living Trust Provides Privacy

Revocable trusts are a smart decision for those worried with keeping records and information about their assets private, especially after your passing. The probate procedure that wills are subjected to can make your estate an open book since documents entered into it become public record, accessible to anyone.

What Happens If The Trustmaker Becomes Mentally Incapacitated?

The trust agreement also specifies what happens if the trustmaker turns out to be mentally incapacitated and can never again deal with their affairs and those of the trust. The trust documents should name a “successor trustee,” someone to step in and assume control over the management of the trust if the trustmaker is determined to be mentally incapacitated. The successor trustee can then deal with the trustmaker’s finances and the assets that have been set in the trust.

When a Revocable Living Trust becomes Irrevocable?

A revocable trust automatically becomes irrevocable when the trustmaker dies since he/she can never again make changes to it. The named successor trustee steps in now as well, paying the trustmaker’s last bills, debts and taxes, similarly as he would if the trustmaker became incapacitated. In the case of death, however, they would then distribute the rest of the assets to the trust’s beneficiaries as indicated by directions incorporated in the trust’s formation documents.

Estate Planning Lawyers Serving Fremont and the Bay Area

When it comes to creating and maintaining a revocable living trust, you need an attorney with knowledge, skill, and experience to guide you through every step of the trust creation process. At the Singh Law Firm, our attorneys have extensive backgrounds in business, accounting, and tax laws. We have helped over 1,000 clients successfully establish comprehensive revocable trusts. A trust of this nature should be established as early as possible. Our attorneys are here to help, give our firm a call today. Our estate planning lawyers will assist you create an effective plan based on your assets, tax burden, and financial situation.