An Estate Plan Begins with a Will or Living Trust

A will provides your instructions, but it does not avoid probate. A will only directs how assets titled in your name and without a beneficiary designation or other governing contract will be distributed. The assets must still go through your state’s probate court before they can be distributed to your intended beneficiaries. (If you own property—usually real estate—in other states, multiple probates may be required, each one according to the laws in that state.) The process varies greatly from state to state, but it can become expensive with attorney’s fees, executor commissions, and court costs. It can also take anywhere from a few months to two years or longer. With some exceptions, probate proceedings are open to the public, and your creditors and any excluded heirs are notified of their opportunity to file for payment of a debt or a share of your estate. In short, the court system, not your family, controls the process and the timing of distributions to your beneficiaries.

Not everything you own will go through probate. Jointly-owned property and assets that let you designate a beneficiary (for example, life insurance, IRAs, 401(k)s, annuities, and certain other accounts) are not controlled by your will and usually will transfer to the surviving owners or beneficiary without probate. However, there are many problems with joint ownership and using these methods for estate planning. In addition, avoidance of probate is not guaranteed. For example, if a valid beneficiary is not named, the assets will have to go through probate and will be distributed along with the rest of your estate. If you name a minor as a beneficiary, the court will probably require a guardianship until the child reaches the legal age of majority for the state, often between eighteen and twenty-one years of age.

For these reasons, a revocable living trust (combined with a pour-over will) is preferred by many families and estate planning professionals. Establishing and funding a revocable living trust can avoid probate at death (including multiple probates if you own property in other states), prevent court control of assets if you become incapacitated during life, bring all of your assets (even those with beneficiary designations) together into one plan, and provide increased privacy. Because the trust is revocable, the instructions governing it can be changed by you at any time. The accompanying pour-over will is a backup measure in the event that any assets are not funded into your trust during your lifetime and provides that those assets should be poured over into your trust upon your death.

Unlike a probate, which will end at some point, a trust can continue long after your death. Assets can stay in your trust, managed by the trustee you selected, until your beneficiaries reach the age you want them to inherit or longer to provide for a loved one with special needs; to protect the assets from beneficiaries’ creditors, spouses, and irresponsible spending; or to provide for future generations.

An estate plan that includes both a revocable living trust and pour-over will is not necessarily more expensive initially than an estate plan that only includes a will, but it is more likely to avoid fees and costs later, considering that a funded trust can avoid court involvement at incapacity and death.