Most clients who seek me out for estate planning advice generally ask for help in drafting and executing a will for them. While a will is a necessary part of an estate plan, a trust can also be a very important part of that plan – and not just for the wealthy. The various benefits of trusts – discussed below – often provide valuable results for people of all income levels.
The most widely used type of trust is referred to as a living trust (also referred to as an “inter vivos” trust). A trust is a legal arrangement where a person called the “grantor” transfers property to be held by an individual called the “trustee” for the benefit of a third party, referred to as a “beneficiary.” While many times the grantor, trustee and beneficiary are different people, that is not always be the case. Sometimes, the grantor, trustee and beneficiary can be the same person.
A living or inter vivos trust is one that is created during the lifetime of the grantor. In most cases, the grantor is both the trustee and the beneficiary during their lifetime. Usually, the grantor reserves the right to revoke the trust. After the death of the grantor, the terms of the trust control the disposition of the assets. In the usual case, the grantor’s spouse, if living, will receive the assets of the trust, either outright, or through distributions of the trust. If the spouse is not living, the grantor’s children or other chosen beneficiaries will receive distributions from the trust. These distributions can be made either by giving the property to the beneficiaries outright or by a successor trustee continuing to administer the trust until the time that the grantor specified that the beneficiaries are of a sufficient age to receive the remainder of their share.
The primary benefits of incorporating a living trust into your estate plan are avoiding the expense and hassle of probate in North Carolina, privacy, and avoiding ancillary probate in another state in which you own real property. When property passes via a will, a probate proceeding must be opened. The process can sometimes be time-consuming and expensive, and documents filed in a probate proceeding are public record which can be viewed by anyone, including a person intentionally disinherited under the terms of the will. Also, if you own property in another state, an ancillary probate proceeding must be opened in that state, which can be costly and burdensome to an executor. A trust avoids this problem because the trust, not you, owns the property, which passes pursuant to the terms of the trust. A revocable trust also provides a measure of planning should you become incapacitated. In that event, your successor trustee assumes responsibility for the administration of the trust and can manage the property held by it.
Evan Lohr is an estates attorney in Raleigh. He can be reached at evan@lohrnc.com or at (919) 348-9211.
North Carolina Trusts and Estates Law 