Trust Law

Is A Trust The Best Way To Protect Your Assets And Financial Legacy?

Your estate plan is the sum total of crucial decisions you make about your assets, future health, care for minor children or loved ones and other personal choices in the event you die or are incapacitated. It clarifies your goals, intentions and instructions for a future when you won’t be there or cannot make those decisions.

An essential part of estate planning is deciding whether a will or trust best suits your needs. While a will is a common tool, a trust offers unique advantages that can simplify the process and provide greater flexibility.

If you choose to create a trust, you’ll fund it during your lifetime, giving you control over how your assets are managed and distributed. You can act as the trustee or appoint someone else to handle those responsibilities, with the assurance that the trust will be managed according to your wishes in the event of your death or incapacity.

At the Law Office of Rebecca Sommer, our trust and estate lawyers have helped Anaheim and Orange County clients create trusts tailored to their unique circumstances, ensuring their legacies are protected and their families are provided for.

What Are The Advantages Of A Trust Over A Will?

While a will may appear straightforward, it has limitations. A will only takes effect after your death and must go through probate, a court-supervised process that can be time-consuming, expensive, and invasive.

In contrast, a trust provides numerous benefits, including:

• Avoiding Probate: A trust bypasses probate, saving time and reducing legal expenses for your loved ones.
• Tax Advantages: Properly structured trusts can help minimize estate taxes.
• Asset Protection: A trust can help you safeguard your assets from creditors or legal disputes.
• Privacy: Unlike wills, which become public records, trusts keep your financial matters confidential.
• Lifetime Flexibility: With a trust in place, you can access funds for essential expenses, such as education, healthcare, or a home purchase, even during your lifetime.

Trusts come in many forms, each tailored to specific goals and circumstances. Fortunately, a skilled trust attorney can help you determine the type of trust that best meets your needs. Let us guide you through the process of exploring what a trust can do to protect your financial legacy and provide for your loved ones.

If You’ve Been Considering Whether A Trust Can Benefit You, Let’s Talk

We stand ready to assist you with your questions and decisions about trusts. We’ll show you how a trust can:

• Protect, manage, and grow your assets
• Protect and provide for you and your family’s financial future
• Clarify your intentions and instructions in the event of incapacity or death
• Avoid unnecessary and burdensome procedures and taxation in probate

Taking the first step toward a secure estate plan starts with answering important questions about your circumstances and goals. To help, we’ve developed a free Legacy Dream Workbook, designed to organize your thoughts before our first meeting. (You can download it by clicking the link here.) Just answer questions that are relevant and meaningful to you; we’ll help you do the rest.

If you’re ready to secure your family’s future with an estate plan, make an appointment today to visit our Anaheim, CA office. Choose trust administration attorneys with experience. Call (657) 571-1241 or fill out our contact page for a free consultation.