What You Need to Know to Set Up a Trust
Trusts are estate planning tools that can help protect and preserve your assets and ensure they are distributed to beneficiaries in the way you wish.
Building trust can take time and attention but can provide many benefits. For instance, it can avoid probate and get assets to heirs quickly.
Know Your Options
A trust can help you share your wealth, maintain control over your assets and avoid probate. However, setting up trust can be more complicated than drafting a will and come with some upfront costs.
Talk to an Estate Attorney with experience creating a Trust about your situation to determine which type of Trust is best for you and what goals you have in mind. Consider a revocable trust, an irrevocable trust, or both depending on your needs and objectives.
Once you know what you need from a trust, it’s time to start the process. Gather all the titles and deeds to property, stock certificates, life insurance policies and other assets you plan to transfer into your Trust.
It is also a good idea to name a successor trustee and select beneficiaries for the Trust. You can choose family members or friends, but it’s essential to consider their temperament and ability to handle the task.
Determine Your Goals
Setting up a trust can be an effective way to safeguard assets and avoid costly probate fees. However, it can also be confusing and frustrating. You’ll want to determine your goals before launching into the process and choose a professional to help you get started.
To determine your goals, think about what you want your Trust to accomplish. For example, you should provide for your children’s education, philanthropy or even ensure they have a comfortable retirement.
Next, decide on a trust structure that suits your needs and budget. There are various options to choose from, including revocable and irrevocable trusts.
Choosing a trust might be daunting, but if you’re determined to make it happen, you can do it. The key is to do your research and find a professional who can answer your questions, guide you through the process and deliver results. It’s a great idea to talk to a legal or financial advisor before you begin. They’ll have the expertise and know-how to make your dreams a reality.
Decide on a Trustee
Choosing the right trustee is as important as establishing the Trust itself. Whether it’s a family member, a financial pro or an unbiased third party, the person entrusted with your Trust will be responsible for investing the assets, maintaining good records, handling taxes and paying beneficiaries.
Trustees must also follow the instructions outlined in the trust instrument and adhere to state laws that govern their administration. This requires expertise in accounting and investment experience and a deep understanding of the specific rules that govern each jurisdiction.
A trustee must also be able to make objectively fair decisions when distributing funds from the Trust. This may include deciding to withhold distributions for spendthrift beneficiaries or helping an heir with substance abuse problems find a rehabilitation facility.
The grantor’s spouse or one of their children is often named as trustee. This is an acceptable choice from a legal perspective, but there are better decisions for other reasons.
Select Beneficiaries
A trust is a legal document that enables you to hold assets and distribute them to beneficiaries, such as children or other family members. You can choose to appoint yourself as the grantor or trustee of your Trust and manage the assets during your lifetime, or you can select someone else, such as a professional trustee service, to do so.
When you decide who to name as beneficiaries, you must know how the funds will be distributed in your Trust. This can include a lump sum at a particular time or distributions over a set period.
It’s also good to consider the potential tax implications of your choice. Depending on the type of Trust, you can minimize taxes by transferring assets into a tax-advantaged trust.
If you want to transfer a business interest into a trust, you’ll need to contact the company’s Secretary and have them update ownership records. You can then have the company issue new stock certificates to reflect that the Trust is now the owner of the business interest.
Fund Your Trust
When you set up a trust, you need to determine how you want to fund it. You can transfer assets you wish to pass on to your beneficiaries, like cash, securities, and real estate property.
Your Trust will also need a bank account, brokerage account, or safety deposit box where your Trust can store your assets. This will let you track how your Trust is funded, what the beneficiaries are, and who manages it.
A trustee will handle the funds and distribute them according to the instructions in your trust documents. They should be someone you trust, so choose someone with your best interests at heart.
If you need help with how to fund your Trust, you can seek the help of a qualified estate planning attorney. This person will be able to walk you through the process, answer your questions, and ensure that you have a well-crafted trust fund that achieves your goals.
To avoid a tax penalty, you must fund your Trust promptly. This will prevent you from paying more income tax than necessary and ensure that your beneficiaries receive the money you intended them to have when you’re gone.
