Living Trust Insert Phone Field For Free

If you want to pass on certain assets before you die, a trust may also help. One of the main reasons people put their house in a trust is because assets in a trust do not go through probate after you die, while everything you bequeath through your will does go through probate.

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.

You will need to retain an estate attorney to draft and execute your trust document. For a simple revocable or irrevocable trust, it may cost anywhere from $2,000 $5,000.

An estate plan that includes a trust costs $1,000 to $3,000, versus $300 or less for a simple will. What a living-trust promoter may not tell you: You don't need a trust to protect assets from probate. You can arrange for most of your valuable assets to go to your heirs outside of probate.

Assets that should not be used to fund your living trust include:Qualified retirement accounts 401ks, IRAs, 403(b)s, qualified annuities.Health saving accounts (HSAs)Medical saving accounts (MSAs)Uniform Transfers to Minors (UTMAs)Uniform Gifts to Minors (UGMAs)Life insurance.Motor vehicles.

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.

This should include your home and other real property, vehicles, bank accounts, retirement accounts, and life insurance policies. Then, from this list, you can choose which assets you would like to place into the trust.