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Another downside of living trusts is that transferring assets can be both time-consuming and complicated. If you hold a variety of assets, you'll need to contact your different banks and agents to have everything you own moved over -- a process that could involve a fair amount of paperwork.

A living trust does not protect your assets from a lawsuit. Living trusts are revocable, meaning you remain in control of the assets and you are the legal owner until your death. Because you legally still own these assets, someone who wins a verdict against you can likely gain access to these assets.

Revocable trusts provide privacy. Anyone can see what stipulations are in your will, who your beneficiaries are and what each beneficiary is inheriting. Estates in a living trust are distributed in private. No one can search the public records to see where your assets went.

Trusts and Bank Accounts You might have a checking account, savings account and a certificate of deposit. You can put any or all of these into a living trust. However, this isn't necessary to avoid probate. Instead, you can name a payable-on-death beneficiary for bank accounts.

19 JanYour Living Trust is a Private, Confidential Document. Under California Law, your Living Trust is a private document. Unlike a Will, the Living Trust is not filed and made a public record on your death. No one has a right to see your personal private provisions except for very limited purposes.

Trusts aren't public record, so they're not usually recorded anywhere. Instead, the trust attorney determines who is entitled to receive a copy of the document, even if state law doesn't require it.

Signing a revocable living trust agreement by itself isn't enough to avoid probate of your property. You must then title your assets in the name of your trust. Your assets will only avoid probate after your revocable living trust has become the record owner of your assets instead of you.