Over the years I have been amazed by the misinformation that is spread about living trusts. On one end of the spectrum are promoters who loudly proclaim that everyone desperately needs a living trust so their estate can avoid the perils of probate.
On the other end of the spectrum you will find others who say living trusts are worthless and their alleged benefits are "myth's." If you have spent some time searching the web for information, you likely have become increasingly confused the more you read.
•One "expert" says living trusts will ensure your estate avoids probate. The next "expert" says "hogwash, a living trust will do no such thing."
•Next, you read a living trust can save you taxes. Someone else says "no it won't."
•The so-called experts disagree about whether a living trust will enable you keep creditor's away from your assets; avoid the expense of guardianship; prevent a will contest...and it goes on and on.
How can the "experts" disagree so profoundly about the most important aspects of living trusts?
The truth is they are all right and all wrong. There is some truth in what each of them has to say. But, the whole truth is more complicated.
This site occupies a unique place on the web. As our name says, we provide free living trust information to the general public. We are dedicated to presenting the whole truth about living trusts.
The truth is that living trusts do offer substantial advantages to some people and no advantages (even disadvantages) to others. It just depends on your circumstances.
If you have a simple estate, with relatively few assets (such that your estate will qualify for a simplified probate procedure in your state) -- then you are unlikely to need a living trust.
However, if you are reading this, you are probably not in that category. You probably have a substantial estate, or other special need, that likely would benefit from a living trust.
The best way for you to find out whether a living trust will benefit you is for you to spend some time learning a bit about living trusts and what they can and can't do for you.
Investing time on this site will save you (or your loved ones) lots of time, trouble, and money in the long run. This site will either:
•help you avoid paying for an unnecessary living trust; or,
•if you decide you want a living trust -- save you and your attorney time (and therefore money) when you meet to discuss your estate plan.
Of course this site cannot cover every individual circumstance or provide legal advice. But this site will give you a good understanding of the basic issues you should consider if you are thinking about getting a living trust. For more about use of this site, please see our Terms of Use.
With that caveat, let's begin.
You probably want to start by visiting What is a Living Trust?
From there, you will want to read the pages that summarize advantages and disadvantages of living trusts.
Then, you can read about several hypothetical people who decided to get a living trust and several who did not at Living Trust Examples. You may find someone with a situation similar to your own.
Finally, we try to summarize the issue and give a bit of perspective at Wills vs. Living Trusts.
After reading all of that, if you still have questions or would like to see a particular issue addressed on the site, you can fill out the form at Contact Us and we'll try to help you as best we can.
We hope you enjoy the site. If so, don't forget to bookmark us and tell a friend to check us out. Thank you for visiting Free Living Trust Information.com.
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