Setting up a trust can be a great way to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes and that your loved ones are financially protected. Trusts offer a variety of benefits, from tax advantages to continuity of management and professional guidance. They can also help you leave a lasting financial legacy and simplify the asset distribution process. A trust allows you to be very specific about how, when and to whom your assets are distributed.
On top of that, there are dozens of special-use trusts that could be set up to meet various estate planning goals, such as charitable giving, tax relief, and more. Some trusts help reduce estate taxes. The most common reason is to guarantee loved ones financial protection, which is characterized by continuity of management and professional guidance. Trusts, depending on their nature, can also offer significant tax advantages.
Not only can a trust simplify the asset distribution process, but it can also help you leave a lasting financial legacy. You should consider your reason for establishing a trust first to determine how long the trust should last before the assets are transferred to your final beneficiaries. If the trust assets are, for example, a summer house or a favorite painting, they can be enjoyed both after being deposited in a trust and before and possibly more, because the grantor knows that the property will ultimately go to support a worthy cause. And a trust can also be challenged on the grounds that the grantor was under duress or undue influence in creating the trust and did not do so freely. Whether you're leaving a legacy to a charity or donating assets to your children, a trust can be an effective way to build your legacy.
Other assets that could be deposited in a trust could include a boat or car that is intended for use by all beneficiaries, or any other property that the grantor wants them to share. A trust requires careful management, but creating one is a fairly simple process that usually involves five steps. Trusts can hold many different types of assets, including cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, and other assets. For example, if you have a family business that needs to be divided or a vacation home that doesn't want to leave a person, trusts can be a good way to do that. In addition, by avoiding the probate process, trusts are often a quicker and easier way to distribute your assets when you die. Trusts can help you manage your properties and assets, ensure that they are distributed after you die according to your wishes, and save your family money, time, and paperwork.
If you're concerned about privacy, it's good to know that your heirs can normally liquidate a trust privately. A grantor can transfer assets such as money, real estate, or works of art to a charitable trust and designate that they eventually be surrendered to a specific organization. Generally, a revocable trust would allow you to receive all the benefits of the trust assets (the income of the trust and the right to use the trust assets) as you choose during your lifetime. Trusts offer more control than wills in complex family situations, such as when assets are left to a married beneficiary.
