Our Thoughts, Findings and Articles

Understanding the Washington State Inheritance Tax Changes for 2025

Explore Washington State inheritance tax changes for 2025, including updated exemption limits and strategies to minimize liability. Learn how to protect assets and plan effectively with legal insights

Taxes

California Estate Tax Insights for 2025: Essential Information You Should Have

Explore California estate tax updates for 2025, federal exemptions, planning strategies, and key differences from inheritance tax. Learn how to protect assets and reduce liabilities effectively.

Taxes

Inheritance Tax Illinois: Essential Information for Beneficiaries

Understand Illinois inheritance tax laws, who pays, key exemptions, tax rates, and filing steps. Learn how it impacts beneficiaries and how legal guidance helps protect assets and avoid penalties.

Taxes

Understanding the Settlor of Trust: Roles, Duties, and Legal Implications

Learn the settlor's role in trust creation, legal duties, and how it differs from trustee and beneficiary. Gain insights into trust setup, asset protection, and estate planning responsibilities.

Domestic Trust

Understanding the Distinction Between Trustor and Trustee Roles

Learn the key differences between a trustor and trustee, their legal duties, and how clear roles ensure effective trust management, asset protection, and smooth estate planning.

Domestic Trust

Irrevocable Trusts

What is an irrevocable trust? An irrevocable trust, in simple words, is an arrangement that, by its inherent nature and design, cannot be amended or revoked once it has been set up.

Domestic Trust

The Ultimate Guide to Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts

Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts are financial tools that are designed to protect your hard-earned assets from your creditors, lawsuits, divorces, and even your own poor decisions.

Divorce

10 Types of Trusts

Trusts are a unique way you can look after your money and property, giving you the right to decide who should take care of your 'stuff' in case you are incapable of managing it yourself or after your

Domestic Trust

Does an Irrevocable Trust Protect Assets from A Nursing Home?

Yes, an irrevocable trust can protect your assets from nursing homes, but only if you set it up in a special way.

Nursing Homes

Can An Irrevocable Trust be Changed? Exploring Your Options

It is extremely difficult to make changes to an irrevocable trust, and if it’s set up correctly, no one can alter the trust or access the assets inside it.

Domestic Trust

What is a bulletproof trust?

A bulletproof trust is an irrevocable trust that gives the trustee strong control over the assets to protect them from creditors, lawsuits, taxes, and other claims. It’s designed to keep the assets sa

Domestic Trust

What is a Medicaid Irrevocable Trust and the 5-Year Lookback Period?

Irrevocable Medicaid Trusts are established legal devices that afford protection for one's assets while qualifying them for Medicaid.

Medicaid Estate Planning

How Much Does a Trust Cost?

The cost to establish a trust typically ranges from $100 to $500.000, though this amount can vary based on complexity, location, and attorney fees.

Domestic Trust

A Guide to Smart Estate Planning and Administration

Estate planning is when you determine exactly how your assets and wealth by handled after you pass away.

Wealth Planning

A High Net Worth Estate Planning Guide

High net-worth estates require planning to last for generations. This includes minimizing taxes, passing along assets to future generations, being charitable, and continuing business interests.

Wealth Planning

Your Asset Protection Attorney Guide: An APA Explained

An asset protection attorney, also known as an estate planning attorney, is there to help you protect your assets from risks like lawsuits, creditors, fraud, divorce, and any other mishaps that could

Lawsuits

Best Countries for Offshore Trusts: Asset Protection Around The World

The best country for your offshore trust might be Belize, the Cayman Islands, the Cook Islands, or Singapore. Or it might be one of several other options.

Offshore

Does A Trust Protect Your Assets from a Lawsuit? 

Will a trust protect you from a lawsuit? Well, a trust does provide asset protection, though the protection is not in the case of a lawsuit.

Wealth Planning

Can an Unhappy Beneficiary Challenge a Trust?

Yes, an unhappy beneficiary can have the legal right to challenge a trust if they feel they were unfairly excluded

If Someone Sues You, Can They Take Your House? Your Asset Questions Answered 

Yes, you can lose a lot from a lawsuit, including homes, property, investments, bank accounts, and more.

Lawsuits

Can You Sue a Trust? Know Your Legal Options

Technically, no, you cannot sue a trust. It is not a person, but a legal entity, but you can instead sue the trustee, the person responsible for the management and upkeep of the trust. 

Lawsuits

Cayman Islands Estate Tax Explained: Your In-Depth Guide

The Cayman Islands is a tax-free country, meaning there is no estate tax, no inheritance tax, and no gift tax. This makes it an ideal location for trusts.

Taxes

Testamentary Trust vs. Living Trust: A Comparison

A testamentary trust only comes into effect when the grantor of the trust dies whereas the living trust can be created during the grantor’s lifetime.

Domestic Trust

Does a Revocable Trust Protect Assets from Nursing Home?

Plain and simple, No, a revocable trust will not protect your assets from expensive nursing home costs.

Does a Trust Avoid Probate? How to Prepare Your Estate After You’re Gone

In most cases, yes, a trust does avoid probate. Most trusts are designed to make a smooth transition plan for your assets to pass to your heirs without probate delays. 

Domestic Trust

Does a Trust Need to Go Through Probate? Get To Know The Process

In most cases, no, a trust does not need to pass through probate. Most trusts are specifically created so that you can pass along your assets to your beneficiaries without probate delays. 

Domestic Trust

Does A Marriage Override A Trust? Estate Planning Explained

Depending on the terms of your trust, a marriage may override the trust.

Domestic Trust

Everything You Need to Know About California Asset Protection Trusts

A California Asset Protection Trust is an irrevocable trust that is set up in California to take advantage of California trust laws to protect assets and pass them along to your beneficiaries. 

Domestic Trust

Everything You Need to Know About Living Trusts in Florida

A Florida living trust is a trust that allows you to put your assets into a trust, still control them, and create a plan to pass along those assets without going through Florida probate court.

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How Beneficiaries Receive Their Money: Your Guide to Getting Paid

Beneficiaries are people or organizations named in a will or a trust that are named to be the recipients of the estate.

Domestic Trust

What is the Cost of a Lawyer in Setting Up a Trust? 

The cost of setting up a trust through a lawyer can range between $1,000 and $3,000, but this can vary dramatically depending on complexity, location, and the attorney's experience. 

Domestic Trust

How Much Does a Trust Cost to Maintain?

Typically, your trust will cost you around 0.5% - 2% of your total assets worth in yearly maintenance costs. That could be thousands each year, depending on how big your trust is.

Domestic Trust

How to Protect Assets from Medicaid 

The answer to this will most probably lie in strategic planning, such as making a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust, transferring assets, and purchasing financial products like annuities.

Medicaid Estate Planning

How to Protect Your Assets From the Government

If you want to protect your assets from the government, you can either set up a corporation or LLC, or you can create a legal trust to hold your assets.

Wealth Planning

Irrevocable Medicaid Trust 

‍Will an Irrevocable Medicaid Trust Help You Keep Your Assets and Still Get Medicaid?

Medicaid Estate Planning

Irrevocable Pure Grantor (IPUG) Trusts Explained

An irrevocable pure grantor trust or IPUG trust, is a specialized irrevocable trust with incredible asset protection with some added benefits to preserve Medicaid eligibility. 

Medicaid Estate Planning

Is Estate Planning Tax Deductible? 

A lot of the estate planning expenses used to be tax deductible, but that has changed recently. The IRS has made much of the costs of estate planning no longer eligible to be tax deductible.

Taxes

Is Your Private Trust Legal in South Carolina?

Yes, private trusts are legal in South Carolina, along with several other types of trusts.

Domestic Trust

Key Differences Between Land Trust and Living Trust

A land trust is designed for you to hold property in a trust, while a living trust can be any number of assets. A land trust is essentially a type of a living trust with a more specific purpose. 

Domestic Trust

Marital Trust vs Family Trust: Understanding the Differences

A marital trust is a financial tool that lets you transfer your assets to your spouse after you die.

Domestic Trust

Pros and Cons of Asset Protection Trusts: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The asset protection trust exists to protect your property from creditors and keep your assets safe from lawsuits and legal challenges.

Lawsuits

The Risks of Moving Assets During a Lawsuit

It is very likely that if you move assets during a lawsuit, you could get slapped with fraudulent conveyance, which could cost you dearly.

Lawsuits

How To Create a Cook Islands Trust To Protect Your Assets

A Cook Islands Trust is the gold standard of trusts, set up in the remote South Pacific nation with favorable laws and strict regulations to protect your assets from creditors and lawsuits. 

Offshore

The Secret Trust vs Semi-Secret Trust Debate: What's the Difference?

A secret trust is kept hidden from everyone, even in a will. A semi-secret trust reveals the existence of the trust, but the beneficiaries are kept secret from everyone.

Domestic Trust

Smarter Asset Protection with Offshore Asset Protection Trusts

Offshore asset protection trusts let you create a trust in a foreign nation.

Offshore

VA Asset Protection Trust: Protecting Our Veterans

The VA Asset Protection Trust is designed so that veterans can protect their assets while keeping their veteran benefits unaffected.

Retirement

The Benefits of Establishing a Nevada Asset Protection Trust

A Nevada Asset Protection trust uses Nevada laws to offer you better, more robust asset protection benefits.

Domestic Trust

The Benefits of Establishing a Wyoming Asset Protection Trust

A Wyoming asset protection trust is unique because it lets you protect your assets without any state income and with no limitations on the time frame.

Domestic Trust

The Truth About Self-Settled Trusts

A self-settled trust lets you create a trust where you’re both the grantor and the beneficiary, a unique tool where the trust is made to benefit you.

Wealth Planning

Your Ultimate Guide on How to Protect Your Assets in a Divorce

There are several ways you can protect your assets during a divorce including pre- and postnuptial agreements, trusts, dividing debts, and transparency with your estate.

Divorce

Understanding the Foreign Grantor Trust

A foreign grantor trust is a trust that can be created by a non-US citizen, so neither the trust nor the trustee is subject to American tax laws.

Offshore

What Happens To An Irrevocable Trust When the Grantor Dies? 

When a grantor dies, the irrevocable trust continues to exist with the trustee managing assets, distributing income, and passing everything along to the beneficiaries.

Domestic Trust

What Is an Estate?: Preparing For Your Future

An estate is the sum total of everything you own, all your investments, assets, collectibles, money, property, as well as your debts and liabilities. 

Domestic Trust

What Is An Irrevocable Grantor Trust? How It Can Work For You

An irrevocable grantor trust is a trust where the grantor gives up all rights to the control of assets and surrenders them to a trustee to manage, all for the benefit of their beneficiaries.

Domestic Trust

Who Owns The Property in a Revocable Trust?

Technically, the property in a revocable trust belongs to the trust, but ownership is tricky.

Domestic Trust

Your Guide to Selling a House in a Trust Before Death

Can you sell a house in a trust before death? Normally, that’s OK, unless there are specific clauses in the trust that don’t allow you to make a sale. 

At What Net Worth Should You Consider a Trust? 

A trust is for anybody, but if you have assets of at least $100,000, you should consider a trust.

Wealth Planning

Benefits of Placing Your House in a Trust

Putting your house in a trust comes with essential benefits that include avoiding probate, asset protection, and how easy estate transfers will be.

Wealth Planning

Best States for Trusts

The best state to create a trust is South Dakota. It provides the strongest asset protection, tax advantages, and privacy laws that will make it an ideal state for trust planning.

Wealth Planning

What is a bulletproof trust?

A bulletproof trust is an irrevocable trust that gives the trustee strong control over the assets to protect them from creditors, lawsuits, taxes, and other claims.

Domestic Trust

Can Trustee Be a Beneficiary of Will?

Yes, a trustee can be a beneficiary of a will, but they must be very careful to avoid any actions that could be seen as a conflict of interest or a breach of trust.

Domestic Trust

Dapt Trust

An asset protection trust is a type of irrevocable trust that provides protection for one's assets from creditors, lawsuits, avoid probate taxes.

Domestic Trust

Disadvantages to a trust

The main disadvantages to a trust are that it can be costly to establish and somewhat complicated.

Domestic Trust

Does a Trustee Get Paid?

Trustees can be compensated for their services, although compensation may vary widely depending on a number of factors, including the type of trust,

Domestic Trust

Does a Will Override a Trust? Essential Differences Explained

Most of the time, a will does NOT override a trust. The trust has the legal backing over the will, but it has to be set up correctly for that to happen.

Domestic Trust

Does revocable trust become irrevocable at death?

Well, yes, a revocable trust does become irrevocable upon the death of a grantor. In simple words, this means that once the grantor of the trust dies, it cannot be amended, changed, or revoked.

Domestic Trust

How Do I Put My House in a Trust: A Step-by-Step Guide

When you transfer your house into a trust, you’re saying that the ownership of the home now belongs to the trust, guided and managed by your trustee.

Wealth Planning

How Much Does It Cost to Set Up a Trust?

A revocable living trust might cost in the range of $3,000 - $5,000, maybe more depending on the size of the trust.

How to Avoid Paying a Civil Judgment

One may seek methods of settlement, bankruptcy, or asset protection arrangements in order not to pay a civil judgment.

Lawsuits

What is a Medi-Cal Asset Protection Trust in California?

A Medi-Cal Asset Protection Trust, or MAPT, is a specific legal tool that protects your assets from being counted toward Medi-Cal eligibility.

Wealth Planning

Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts

A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust, also known as a MAPT, is a special kind of legal trust that lets people protect their assets from consideration for Medicaid eligibility.

Medicaid Estate Planning

Medicaid Asset Protection

Will Medicaid Asset Protection help you protect your assets while still qualifying for Medicaid?

Nursing Homes

The Cost of a Trust: What You Need to Know

A trust can cost anywhere from $5,000-$100,000 plus, depending on the type of the trust, the number of assets, or the intention of the trust.

Wealth Planning

The Dangers in Irrevocable Trusts: An Overview‍

Irrevocable trusts sound great for asset protection and security, but you have to give up control of your assets, possibly forever. It’s a tradeoff that some people aren’t prepared to make. 

Wealth Planning

The Final Distribution of Estate Assets: A Complete Guide

Once the judge signs off on the probate, the final distribution of the estate’s assets is the last step for the beneficiaries to get their distributions. But it can take a year or longer to get here. 

Wealth Planning

Understanding Beneficiary Rights to Trust Accounting

Every beneficiary has rights to check up on the trust’s accounting activities, keep an eye on the accounting, and take legal action if the trustee has not met their obligations.

Wealth Planning

Understanding Florida Asset Protection Trusts: A Comprehensive Guide

A Florida Asset Protection Trust uses local laws so you can get better, more robust asset protection benefits. 

What is the Cost of a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust?

The general cost of having a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust lies anywhere between $3,000 and $10,000, which is dependent on the complexity of the trust and the attorney fees. 

Medicaid Estate Planning

What Is an Estate?: Preparing For Your Future

What Is an Estate?: Preparing For Your Future

Domestic Trust

Can Trustee Be a Beneficiary of Will?

Yes, a trustee can be a beneficiary of a will, but they must be very careful to avoid any actions that could be seen as a conflict of interest or a breach of trust.

Domestic Trust

Irrevocable Funeral Trust

An irrevocable funeral trust is one legal and financial choice for pre-funding funeral and burial expenses.

Retirement