How Trusts Protect Your Family and Assets
Trusts play a vital role in safeguarding your family’s future and preserving the assets you’ve worked so hard to build. By transferring ownership of property, investments, and other valuables into a trust, you can avoid the delays, expenses, and public nature of probate court. With a properly funded trust in place, your loved ones can access their inheritance more quickly and with less stress.
Establishing a trust can seem daunting, but FastWill streamlines the process. With an intuitive, step-by-step online system, you’ll complete a customized trust document in minutes—and even connect with a remote notary without leaving home. Get Started with FastWill Today and secure peace of mind for you and your heirs.
How a Trust Protects Your Family
When you set up a trust, you name a trustee to manage and distribute assets according to your instructions. This structure lets you:
- Provide seamless asset transfer: Assets held in trust pass directly to beneficiaries upon your death, bypassing probate delays.
- Shield inheritances from creditors: Certain trust types can protect property from a beneficiary’s potential lawsuits or creditors.
- Ensure care for minors or dependents: You designate a guardian and set conditions for distributions—such as staggered payouts when children reach certain ages.
- Avoid family disputes: Clear, legally binding instructions reduce the chance of disagreements over who gets what.
Key Benefits of Establishing a Trust
1. Probate Avoidance
Probate can be a lengthy and public process. By transferring assets into a trust, your heirs receive property without court intervention, saving time and keeping your estate details private.
2. Asset Protection
Trusts like spendthrift trusts can prevent beneficiaries from squandering inheritances and protect those assets from external creditors.
3. Flexibility and Control
You dictate precisely how, when, and to whom distributions are made. Whether you want a beneficiary to receive a lump sum at age 30 or quarterly payments over a decade, a trust lets you tailor the plan.
4. Continuity of Management
If you become incapacitated, a successor trustee can manage trust assets on your behalf—ensuring bills are paid, investments are maintained, and your family’s needs are met.
Types of Trusts to Consider
Revocable Living Trust
- Adjustable at any time during your lifetime
- Avoids probate for assets held in trust
- Offers privacy, since trust terms aren’t part of public record
Irrevocable Trust
- Permanent transfer of assets—usually for estate tax planning or asset protection
- Removes assets from your taxable estate
- Can protect assets from creditors when structured correctly
Special Needs Trust
- Provides for a loved one with disabilities without affecting government benefit eligibility
- Distributions used specifically for supplemental needs
Spendthrift Trust
- Limits a beneficiary’s access to principal to prevent reckless spending
- Protects trust assets from creditors of the beneficiary
Why Online Trust Creation Matters
Traditional estate planning with an attorney can cost thousands and take weeks of back-and-forth. Online tools like FastWill cut both time and cost:
- Speed: Complete your trust in about 15 minutes.
- Affordability: Packages start at $199—hundreds less than an hourly attorney fee.
- Quality: Documents are drafted by attorneys and customized to your state’s legal requirements.
- Convenience: Meet a verified remote notary from home to execute your trust officially.
Rather than scheduling multiple in-person meetings, your trust is ready for signature as soon as you finish the questionnaire. Get Started with FastWill Today and have your trust funded in days—not months.
Funding Your Trust
Creating the trust document is only half the battle—you must transfer ownership of assets into the trust. FastWill provides:
- Step-by-step guidance: Instructions on retitling real estate, accounts, and investments to your trust name.
- Attorney support: Optional one-hour review to answer funding questions and ensure accuracy.
- Ongoing advice: Trust funding support throughout the year, so you never feel stuck.
Common Myths About Trusts
Myth: Trusts Are Only for the Wealthy
Even modest estates benefit from probate avoidance and privacy. Trusts are for anyone who values smooth asset transfer and reduced court involvement.
Myth: Trusts Eliminate All Estate Taxes
While certain trusts can minimize estate taxes, basic revocable living trusts do not. However, they still deliver probate avoidance and management flexibility.
Myth: Once You Set Up a Trust, You Lose Control
With a revocable trust, you maintain full control over assets and can amend or revoke the trust at any time.
Cost Comparison: Attorney vs. FastWill
Service | Average Cost | Turnaround |
---|---|---|
In-Person Attorney Trust | $1,200–$3,000+ | 2–4 weeks |
FastWill Online Trust | $199 | 15 minutes + remote notarization |
Real-Life Example
Jane and Mark, homeowners with two young children, wanted to guarantee guardianship and smooth inheritance. They used FastWill to create a revocable living trust, funded it with their property and accounts, and met a remote notary—all in under an hour. When Mark unexpectedly fell ill, their successor trustee immediately managed bills, and after his passing, assets flowed directly to their children’s trust sub-accounts without probate delays.
Next Steps: Secure Your Family’s Future
Taking action today means avoiding costly delays and emotional stress later. With FastWill’s simple online interface, high-quality legal documents, and remote notary services, you can establish a trust that protects your loved ones and your legacy.
Get Started with FastWill Today and create a fully customized trust in minutes. Provide your family with clarity, privacy, and the assurance that your assets will be handled exactly as you intend.