A revocable living trust is a valuable estate planning tool. It not only allows you to remain in control of your finances remain while you are alive and ensures they remain well managed if you become unable to manage them yourself (known as becoming incapacitated), but also can provide lasting financial security for your loved ones after your death. However, merely signing the trust agreement does not complete the process. To work properly, you also must fund the trust.

Everyone should have a durable power of attorney in place that appoints someone to act for them if they become unable to do so. However, in some circumstances, this legal document may not be enough. In these cases, setting up a revocable trust can help.

Most of us spend little time thinking about death or losing the capacity to manage our own affairs. These are unpleasant topics and banishing them from our minds is easier than entertaining them. Death, however, is inevitable and becoming incapacitated is not likely, but possible.

What would happen if you could no longer handle your finances or communicate your health care decisions? Who would make important decisions for you about these kinds of things or manage and distribute your assets after you die? These are some of the underlying questions in estate planning.

A business may be required to report under the CTA even if it is a business that is not required to report for Federal income tax purposes (such as a single-member LLC), and even if it was formed to hold specific property, such as real estate, and does not conduct any active business.

Most estate planning attorneys can help you craft an estate plan that minimizes or avoids probate altogether. Probate proceedings are part of the public record and can be very time-consuming and expensive. However, in nearly every case, to some extent probate is necessary. So, it’s important to understand how to navigate the process.

Elder law and estate planning serve two different -- but equally vital -- functions. The main difference is that elder law is focused on preserving your assets during your lifetime, while estate planning concentrates on what happens to your assets after you die.