A Living Trust is a contract between you and your heirs in which you specify what you want done with your assets after your death.

You can change the terms of the Trust at any time while you are alive and you will have complete control over your assets during your life.  This is true for Trusts in Minnesota or elsewhere.

While you are alive, everything remains almost the same as it is now.  You can sell, buy and manage all the trust assets.  You appoint a trustee (usually your spouse or one of your children) to manage your property after you die.

Thinking about a Trust?

You may want to have an attorney draft a Living Trust If You Answer “Yes” to any of the Following

  1. You have an estate that exceeds $50,000
  2. You own real property
  3. You have children
  4. You have children from a previous marriage
  5. You want to make sure your children are provided for in the event your spouse remarries
  6. You want to provide for your children’s college education
  7. You want to take advantage of estate tax deductions
  8. You want to make sure you are not giving the government, the courts and attorneys any more money from your estate than you have to
  9. You want to make it difficult for someone to contest your estate
  10. You want to ensure that your heirs do not have to wait months or even years to enjoy their inheritance

The Benefits of a Living Trust

  • Avoid Probate – a Will does not keep your estate out of Probate Court.  Probate is a costly, time consuming, and public process.  Simply having your assets held in a joint-tenancy is not enough to ensure your children or other beneficiaries inherit your assets.
  • Avoid Taxes – throughout your life the government has taxed your income, your property, your purchases and your savings.  Why should they tax you again when you die?  For many people, a living trust can eliminate all death taxes.  Estate tax is close to 50 cents on every dollar.  That means close to half of your assets above the applicable exclusion amount are given to the government when you die if you do not have a living trust with the proper tax provisions.

For further questions on utilizing a living trust, contact an Trust lawyer in Minnesota.

Free Initial Consultations

Contact the Flanders Law Firm today.  The firm offers free consultations to all potential clients. Call (612) 424-0398.

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