By Estate Planning Attorney Gary D. Rothstein, Esq.

LightHouse supporters often ask us how they can help fund LightHouse programs and services after they pass away. We asked Attorney Gary D. Rothstein to talk about the difference between Revocable Trusts and Wills.

You wish to provide for a bequest to LightHouse when you pass away. But is it better to use a Will or a revocable trust for that purpose?

For centuries, people have used a Last Will and Testament as the primary document for disposing of their assets at death. This is still an acceptable method today for making testamentary dispositions, including bequests to charities. But there are drawbacks to using a will. First, there are specific formalities that must be carefully followed to properly execute a will. For example, a typed will must be witnessed, but a handwritten (holographic) will need not be witnessed. If you do not satisfy the formalities, your will could be invalid. Additionally, a will generally will need to be probated after death in a Probate Court proceeding. A probate proceeding is a time-consuming process and results in the public having access to the provisions of your will.

Because of those shortcomings, revocable trusts have become a generally-accepted alternative to a will. Instead of becoming effective at death through a court proceeding, the trust is effective during your lifetime. The trust holds all of your assets, but you still control your assets as the trustee. The trust specifies how your assets are to be distributed at your death, including any bequests you wish to make to charities.

A revocable trust provides some significant advantages. If, during your lifetime, you become incapacitated, your trust designates one or more successor trustees who will manage the trust assets for your benefit – there would be no need for a court to appoint and supervise a conservator to manage your assets for you. Additionally, a revocable trust avoids probate. When you pass away, the dispositions provided for in your trust can be made without any involvement of the probate court. Your plans for disposing of your assets among family members, friends, and charities can remain private.

When deciding what form of document to use to make a charitable bequest at death, you should consider the advantages that a revocable trust provides over a Will.

Gary Rothstein is Of Counsel in the Trust and Estates practice group of the law firm of Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin. If you need assistance, give us a call today and let our experienced family lawyers help you. Gary’s practice has focused on estate planning, trust administration, and probate matters since 1993. Gary counsels individuals and families with respect to advanced estate planning techniques, such as revocable and irrevocable trusts, charitable giving vehicles, GRAT’s, defective grantor trusts, family limited partnerships, QPRT’s, and life insurance trusts. The uber accident lawyer also represents corporate and individual fiduciaries and beneficiaries in all aspects of trust administration, ranging from initial funding of trusts to representing clients in Probate Court, in connection with disputes between fiduciaries, beneficiaries and creditors. Gary counsels numerous fiduciaries, beneficiaries and creditors through all phases of contested and uncontested probate and trust administration proceedings in Northern and Southern California Probate Courts.

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