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Setting up a living trust is the best way to ensure your assets are passed onto the right people if you pass away. So how do you start the process? In this article, we will walk through the various steps you will need to take to set up a living trust with the assistance of an estate planning attorney.

Many people are afraid of drawing up a will and doing other estate planning because of the perceived high cost. The truth is, drawing up a will is a small cost compared to the cost of probate of an estate if you die without a will and own almost any property.

Trusts are an excellent tool to provide for the future needs of yourself or your loved ones. A trust can be especially beneficial if you have children with special needs, including minor children and adult children with disabilities. You can also create a trust for yourself if you need to apply for Medicaid and your assets exceed the limits to qualify.

One of the first questions the family of a loved one that has passed will ask is, 'What will it cost to settle the estate in Texas?'

If your loved one died without a Will, transferring his or her assets to beneficiaries can be quite difficult. If no action is taken, assets will not be properly transferred and the beneficiaries will have to take some legal action down the road to straighten out the situation. In some cases, a costly determination of heirship proceeding and dependent administration of the estate may be required.

People frequently delay drawing up a Will or other pieces of an estate plan because of concern for the cost. However, the cost of preparing a simple estate plan package is very reasonable. Compared to the expense of handling your estate without a Will, it's a bargain.

A revocable trust is one that can be completely or partially revoked either during the lifetime of the person creating the trust or afterward. An irrevocable trust means just that: it cannot be revoked.

One of my biggest pet peeves over the years has been the over-selling of living trust packages to folks doing their estate planning. There are definitely times when a living trust is a good estate planning tool. However, for many individuals a living trust is an unnecessary expense.

In this series of blogs, I am outlining various types of probates or probate alternatives to settle an estate and their likely costs. As I mentioned in the introduction to this series, the cost is predominantly determined by the type of procedure followed.

There are times when a Living Trust is a smart estate planning tool that can simplify or avoid probate, and save your family thousands of dollars. A Living Trust is not always a necessary part of an estate plan. Below are some of the reasons a Living Trust might be a good tool for your estate planning.