School has just started up again for many students, from grammar school to university. Everyone has had the summer to goof off, and now it’s time to get up to speed. At my office, I have recently met with a number of clients who are finally getting around to their estate planning, a task long-postponed for some. They all have questions for me, ranging from broad questions about how it all works to more sophisticated questions about tax planning; so mid-August seems like the perfect time to reflect on a few basic concepts in estate planning.
What is the difference between a will and a trust? A will is a document that becomes effective at the death of the person who created it, a/k/a the “testator”. To pass property via a will, it is generally necessary to lodge the will with the court in the jurisdiction where the testator lived at the time of death, and to petition the court to admit the will to probate. A probate takes time and costs money. It also has a public character to it, in the sense that the will can be accessed by the public and your nearest family members will receive a copy of it even if they are not beneficiaries under it.
A trust can be created during life and you can place your assets in the trust and administer them as trustee. Upon your death, or upon your becoming incapacitated, the person whom you name as successor trustee can take over the administration of the trust. At your death the successor trustee will administer and distribute the assets according to the provisions of your trust, without need of court supervision. If done properly, a trust will avoid a probate at your death, and also provides a level of disability planning that could avoid a guardianship. This saves money, and also keeps your estate planning out of the public eye.
Why do I need a will if I have a trust? If you have a trust, your assets will pass from the trust to your beneficiaries after your death. However, that only works for the assets that are actually in the trust. Any assets that were not placed in the trust, or were taken out of the trust, will need to be put into the trust after your death. If you have created a trust, you should also have a “pour over” will, meaning a will that leaves all your assets to your trust. If you do not have a pour over will, any assets not placed in your trust will pass according to intestate succession (unless such assets are held in a manner that controls their disposition at your death, such as a beneficiary designation account or a joint tenancy).
I have a trust in place but I want to make a few changes. Does it need to be completely redone or can it just be amended? It depends. If all you want to do is change a beneficiary or a successor trustee, it may make sense to do a simple amendment. If you need extensive changes, or if your trust is simply out of date with the law because of when it was prepared, it may be better to amend and restate it. This means a new trust agreement is prepared, which amends in its entirety the trust agreement you originally had. Sometimes it is less expensive to do this than to prepare a series of amendments.
Where can I get a power of attorney? Powers of attorney for financial matters and for health care are part of an estate planning package. You can also obtain forms on line. In Nevada, as in many states, the probate code provides a form for each of these documents. However, you should be aware that the forms are not necessarily easy to understand and they require you to make certain choices that are best understood if a lawyer explains them to you.
If you do not have estate planning in place or wish to have your existing plan reviewed, contact a qualified estate planning attorney today. Having a good plan in place will give you a sense of peace, knowing you will be taken care of in the manner you wish if you become disabled, and your loved ones or your favorite charities will be provided for at your death.
Nevada Estate Planning and Probate 