The first call is free. We will tell you whether a trust is worth it for you, or whether a will does the job.
A trust costs more than a will, so it should solve a problem a will cannot. These are the four we see most.
A will sends real estate through probate in the state where it sits. Property held in a funded trust passes to your family without a court case.
A young adult, a relative who struggles with money, or a family member who receives disability benefits. A trust pays out on your terms instead of all at once, and a special needs trust keeps those benefits in place.
Money left outright can end up in a beneficiary's divorce or with their creditors. A trust can hold it for them and keep it separate.
If you lose the ability to manage your affairs, the successor trustee you named takes over the trust assets without asking a court first.
What a trust should do depends on what you own and who it is for. Answer two questions and we will show you what usually matters for someone in your position.
For most families the questions are whether the home avoids probate and who steps in if you cannot. Sometimes a will and updated beneficiary forms do the job for less, and we will tell you if so.
Each property is probated in the state where it sits unless a trust owns it. Deeding property into one trust keeps your family out of multiple courts.
Business owners require specialized trust planning for succession, valuation discounts, and liquidity needs.
Wealthy individuals and families need sophisticated trust planning for estate tax minimization and multi-generational wealth transfer.
Families with disabled members need specialized trusts to provide support without affecting government benefits.
Professionals and individuals in high-liability occupations benefit from asset protection trust strategies.
Those with charitable intentions can maximize their giving impact through sophisticated charitable trust planning.
Individuals seeking privacy and confidentiality benefit from trusts that avoid public probate proceedings.
Not sure which fits? That is what the first call is for.
Book a free 15 minute callAn online trust kit gets you a document. It does not move anything into it, and an empty trust does nothing. Here is the whole sequence, including the step the kits leave out.
You tell us what you own and who it is for. We tell you whether a trust fits, or whether a will and updated beneficiary forms would do the same job for less.
Revocable or irrevocable is the main decision. We explain what each one costs you in control and gives you in protection before anything is drafted.
Before drafting begins, you will know what your plan includes and what it will cost.
We prepare the trust and the documents that go with it, you review them, and they are signed with the formalities each state requires.
Deeds are recorded, accounts are retitled and beneficiary designations are updated, so the trust actually owns what it is meant to. This is the step that keeps your family out of court, and we do it with you rather than leaving it to you.
Every trust starts with one choice: revocable or irrevocable. One keeps you in control, the other gives up control in exchange for protection. The specialty trusts further down are built on that same choice.
You stay in control
You can change it or cancel it at any time while you are able to. You keep full control of everything in it.
You give up control for protection
Once it is signed, it is hard to change. What you put in leaves your estate for good, which is what makes the tax and protection benefits possible.
From our articles
Control or protection, not both in one trust. Where each fits, the misconceptions that cost families money, and the New York rules that change the answer.
Read the full comparisonSome families need a trust built for one job. These are the five we set up most often.
Keeps a life insurance payout out of your taxable estate, so your family has cash to pay taxes and bills without selling assets.
Pays you an income for life, then the rest goes to the charity you chose. It can also bring tax benefits.
Passes wealth straight to grandchildren or later generations. It is set up to keep the extra tax on those gifts as low as possible.
Provides for a family member with a disability without costing them benefits such as Medicaid or SSI.
Moves your home to your children at a lower gift tax value, while you keep living there for a set number of years.
Revocable or irrevocable? That is what the first call is for.
A trust holds assets for the people you name. While you are alive you are usually your own trustee, and nothing about daily life changes. If you die or cannot manage, the successor trustee you chose takes over without going to court.
A will only works after death, and only through probate. A trust works during your lifetime too, keeps the details private, and can keep paying out on your terms for years.
Learn More: For a definition and guide on what a Trust is, visit bankofamerica.com's definition and comprehensive guide to Trusts.
We draft and fund trusts for families in Brooklyn, Newark and Philadelphia, for New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. You decide who benefits and who is in charge; we make sure the trust holds the assets and does what you meant.
A revocable trust you control during your lifetime, which passes your home and accounts to your family without a court case.
For a beneficiary who needs support rather than a lump sum, or an inheritance that should stay out of a divorce or a creditor's reach.
A trust only works once it owns something. We move the assets in, and we guide the trustee when the time comes to act.
Moving assets into the trust is part of the engagement. A kit hands you a document and leaves that step to you.
We practice in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which matters when you live in one and own property in another.
This firm also settles estates, including ones where a trust was signed and never funded.
You will understand what your trust does before you sign it, and be able to explain it to the person who will run it.
Call (917) 515-1825 or contact us online to get started
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See what our clients have to say about their experience
Knowledgeable, responsive, and extremely easy to work with throughout the trust creation process. Stefan created a highly organized set of documents and walked me through everything step by step from start to finish. I would highly recommend reaching out to him if you are considering estate planning or looking for guidance on setting up a trust.
None of this takes bad luck. It is what happens when a trust was never set up, or was signed and never funded.
A trust that never received the deed does not control the house, so it is probated as if the trust did not exist.
If you lose capacity and nobody is named to act, your family may need a court's permission before paying your bills.
Money left outright is handed over in full, ready or not, and is exposed to the beneficiary's creditors and divorce.
An inheritance paid directly to someone on needs based benefits such as Medicaid or SSI can cost them their eligibility. A special needs trust avoids that.
Each problem above is prevented by a trust drafted for your family and actually funded. Neither step is complicated when it is done while you are healthy.
Tell us what you own and who it is for, and we will tell you whether a trust is worth it.
Pick a time below, or call (917) 515-1825. The first fifteen minutes are free.
A phone call, not a video meeting. It helps to know roughly what you own and whose name it is in.
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Tell us what you own, who you want it to go to, and whether you already have a will or a trust. We will come back to you with what we would recommend.
