Introducing the Trust Fund

January 25th, 2008 Filed under: ab trust,Executor Fees,sample wills,Trusts attorney — Estate Planning Author

Mention trusts and images of trust fund babies like Paris Hilton immediately come to mind. While these legal devices are certainly used for the wealth, they are also viable for sane people as well!

Somehow, people began to spread the rumor that trust funds were large bank accounts set aside for the children of extremely wealthy individuals. As a response to this notion, many individuals never even bother to look up the subject, or to find out what it consists of. But, what is a trust fund? Well, to put it simply, it is a way to transfer some sort of asset from one person to another.

Technically, a trust fund places a “legal entity” into the hands of a person that is not the original owner. Confused? Let’s take real estate for example, a parent may decide to place a valuable piece of real estate into one. Once the parent passes away, the property is then passed to a surviving spouse, or to one’s beneficiaries. There are many reasons to create one, and as soon as you begin to explore these reasons, it may make sense to you as well.

Most people set aside money in order to help reduce specific types of estate taxes, but there are other reasons as well. Some good reasons to establish a trust include: to ensure that your assets will be properly cared for if you are not able to take care of them; to easily and efficiently transfer your valuable assets to any remaining family members should something happen to you; and, lastly, to help any minors that you may leave behind in the event of your death.

While a trust fund may seem like a good idea, sometimes a will that is written correctly can be just as effective. Many people choose to go this route simply because there are some loopholes involved that are not allowed with a standard will. In order to find out if one is right for you, you will need to contact an estate lawyer and find out what your options are. Either way, some sort of backup plan always makes sense.

Is this trust strategy one used by the extraordinarily wealthy families? Yes, but it also can make sense for many others as well.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about trust issues for TrustFundCompanies.com – your resource for finding trust fund companies across the country.

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