A living trust is a legal document you set up while you’re alive to ensure that the assets you put in the trust, such as real estate, stock and bond holdings, CDs, and jewelry, are distributed in the ...

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and ...

Most people should have a will, but a living trust can help keep your assets from going through probate. Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Bob Carlson researches all facets of retirement finances. The recent deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa ...

When it comes to estate planning, two of the most common tools are living trusts and wills. Both help ensure your assets reach the right people after you’re gone, but they work differently and serve ...

In the realm of estate planning, there can be a lot of confusion around terminology. Often people come into our offices asking for or about one type of legal document or another, and either they do ...

This article is intended for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. For guidance on your personal situation, please contact a lawyer. Throughout my life, I've always heard that it's better ...

How does it work? What is the purpose of a revocable living trust? The primary role of this type of trust is to provide a comprehensive framework for managing and distributing assets, both during the ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She ...

There are certain benefits a living trust offers over a will. Living trusts aren't right for everyone, and there can be higher up-front costs. It's best to work with an estate-planning attorney to see ...

Estate planning provides for the smooth handling of your assets after death. However, only around 32% of American adults have a will, indicating that most people haven’t taken the appropriate steps to ...