Learning Center
Bite-sized guides — perfect to read before your next advisor conversation.
The core distinction and what each is good for.
Definition
The distinction between trusts that can be altered or revoked by the grantor and those that cannot.
Practical Use
Use this to choose the right trust type based on your need for control, asset protection, or tax planning.
Why an unfunded trust often fails its purpose.
Definition
The legal and procedural steps required to move assets into a trust so it becomes operational.
Practical Use
Use this to avoid the common failure mode: a well-drafted trust that owns nothing because it was never funded.
How a will and trust work together.
Definition
A will designed to work with a living trust, directing any probate assets into the trust at death.
Practical Use
Use this as a safety net for assets accidentally left outside the trust at the time of death.
The capital gains advantage at death.
Definition
A tax rule that resets the cost basis of appreciated assets to fair market value at the owner’s death.
Practical Use
Use this to understand why holding appreciated assets until death can reduce capital gains tax for heirs.
Time, cost, and privacy compared.
Definition
A comparison of court-supervised probate and private trust administration in terms of time, cost, and privacy.
Practical Use
Use this to evaluate whether a trust is worth the upfront effort based on your state’s probate costs and delays.
When the trust files its own return.
Definition
An overview of when a trust must file its own tax return and how income is taxed at the trust or beneficiary level.
Practical Use
Use this to plan for tax filings and avoid surprises after a grantor’s death when the trust becomes its own taxpayer.
The 10-year payout rule and who is exempt.
Definition
Federal rules requiring most non-spouse beneficiaries to fully distribute inherited retirement accounts within 10 years of the original owner's death.
Practical Use
Use this to plan whether to name a trust or individuals as IRA beneficiaries, and to model the tax impact of the accelerated payout window.
Crypto, online accounts, and RUFADAA access.
Definition
The legal and practical framework for transferring access to crypto, online accounts, and digital property at incapacity or death.
Practical Use
Use this to give fiduciaries lawful authority under RUFADAA and to leave specific access instructions without exposing credentials prematurely.
Why state thresholds matter even after federal reform.
Definition
Separate estate or inheritance taxes imposed by certain states (e.g., OR, WA, MA, NY, IL) with thresholds far below the federal exemption.
Practical Use
Use this to size potential state-level exposure, plan domicile decisions, and evaluate credit shelter or AB trust structures.
SLATs, ILITs, QPRTs, GRATs, CRTs, Dynasty, Special Needs, and DAPTs — when each one earns its complexity.