
What a Will Can and Cannot Do
A will allows you to distribute your worldly goods, select a guardian for minor children and name an executor to carry out your wishes.

A will allows you to distribute your worldly goods, select a guardian for minor children and name an executor to carry out your wishes.

Revocable Living Trusts have become a widely used estate planning document, providing a path to managing assets, avoiding probate and gaining privacy at the settlement of an estate.

Both help you pass down assets, while avoiding the time and expense of probate. However, one has much more flexibility than the other.

A TOD account allows the account holder to name a beneficiary on a non-retirement financial account to receive assets at the time of the account holder’s death, thereby (generally – i.e., when used correctly) avoiding probate.

Trusts can provide certain benefits for estate planning, including asset protection. But can you sue a trust?

On the surface, the difference between revocable and irrevocable trusts couldn’t be any more straightforward. You can change your revocable trust whenever and however you choose. You can’t change your irrevocable trust at all.

Estate planning is a crucial part of any holistic financial plan, and financial advisors often work with estate planning attorneys for guidance in this area.

Increasingly, financial advisors are working with clients from nontraditional families, which can sometimes require different or additional strategies to protect their assets and achieve their financial goals.

Should I terminate these trusts and just have my children as beneficiaries of my investment accounts and life insurance?

This legal document can also be beneficial in other situations, such as if you want to leave an inheritance to someone but aren’t sure they will use the gift wisely.