Ask Liza: What’s a Testamentary Trust?
- 03-21-2013
17:18
PM - Author:
Dear Liza: I’ve read that I could create a trust for my children in a Will, then name that trust as a beneficiary of my retirement account. That way, as I understand it, my successor Trustee could manage those retirement assets for my children until they grow up. But if I do that, will my estate have to go through probate before that trust can be established?
Yes, in order to establish a trust that’s created by a Will, your estate would have to go through probate first. What you are describing is called a ‘testamentary trust’ because the trust is created by a Will. The order issued by the court at the end of the probate will incorporate the terms of that trust.
To avoid probate altogether, you should use a living trust to create a trust for the benefit of your children, and put your assets in that trust before you die. You can name that trust as a beneficiary of your retirement account, and, after your death, the successor Trustee will work with the plan administrator for that retirement account to transfer the assets into the trust for your children. That being said, if your children are over eighteen, it’s easier to name them directly as beneficiaries, rather than work through the medium of a trust-which has a slightly different set of rules for how the required minimum distributions are calculated.
For more information about LexisNexis products and solutions, connect with us through our corporate site.