The Bucket List, a 2007 Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson movie inspired a lot of people to think about their own bucket lists, or the things they would like to do before they die.
While a trip around the world in a sailboat may seem a lot more exciting and glamorous than estate planning, thinking about what you want at the end of your life financially, and for those you love, can be even more important than achieving your bucket list.
Join us as we explore a different kind of bucket list – one that will ensure your loved ones, and the things that you’ve worked so hard for, are protected.
What is a trust?
When most people hear the word “trust,” they probably think of elite, wealthy families like the Vanderbilts or Hiltons. However, trusts are not just for the ultra wealthy.
Established during the Crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries to protect the rights of landowners while away on their journey to the Middle East, trusts are still relevant and vitally important to the work we do everyday in helping our clients achieve their goals. You needn’t be a Rockefeller or a wealthy Englishman to benefit from the level of protection that trusts can offer in our modern life.
Why are trusts important?
Think of a trust as a bucket. And what are buckets good for? They are helpful to put stuff in.
When you create a trust, you are in essence creating a legal “bucket.” By placing assets like houses, vehicles, timeshares and farmland into that trust “bucket,” you are insuring that those assets will be managed according to your wishes, which will be written in the trust agreement by you and your legal advisor. Unlike a will, trusts can help protect and manage assets while you are still alive, but disabled in some regard.
How are trusts used?
So, how do you put stuff into the trust “bucket”? By directing assets into it, such as retitling bank or investment accounts, doing a deed to your house or farm, or changing beneficiary designations on life insurance.
For everything that is in the trust bucket, you leave a set of instructions written in the trust agreement. You also name someone to carry out those instructions. That person (or bank or trust company) is called the trustee.
The person you choose as trustee to manage your trust “bucket” has a fiduciary duty, which is one of the highest duties in the law. This means they must carry out your wishes and do what is best for you – not what is best for them. They have to act in your best interest. If they don’t act properly, they can be taken to court.
The most important thing for your plan is to think about what you want to accomplish. What are your goals – for yourself and your family? Once we choose the goals (we help clients do this everyday as a part of our process), then we can see what tools will best accomplish them.
A trust can often be the best tool to carry out goals such as:
- Avoiding the delay and expense of probate court.
- Transferring assets privately after death. (As opposed to a will, which is a public document.)
- Protecting assets from a divorce or lawsuit.
- Giving clear instructions for managing your money during your disability.
- Organizing assets so someone else can help manage them.
- Protecting assets from being used for nursing home costs.
- Leaving money to someone who is too young or too unwise to handle it by himself or herself.
- Avoiding estate taxes.
- Preventing family fights regarding a family farm or business.
- Balancing the wife and kids in a second marriage.
A trust is just one of the legal tools we at the Edwards Group use to carry out your goals and dreams. Our other tools include wills, powers of attorney, living wills, contracts, and deeds. A trust is one of the best tools we have to carry out your wishes and plan for a time when you might become incapacitated or pass away suddenly.
Remember, a trust is nothing more than a tool. It’s not a magic document. All it can do is carry out the instructions written in it, and the only assets it governs are those you actually put in the “bucket.”
Call us today at 217-726-9200 to schedule an appointment and get started on your bucket list!