Trust & Estate Planning

Estate planning for people who have something to protect.

Customized revocable living trusts and coordinated estate plans for North Carolina property owners, investors, business owners, married couples, and families.
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Our Approach

A trust is not just a document.

A revocable living trust can be an effective tool for avoiding probate, managing property during incapacity, coordinating real estate and financial assets, and directing how property passes after death. But the trust only works when it is designed around the assets you actually own and properly coordinated with those assets.

Our approach begins with the property, accounts, businesses, beneficiaries, and family circumstances involved. We then build the estate plan around them, not the other way around.

The Plan

Comprehensive Revocable Living Trust Plan

A typical trust-based estate plan may include the following, tailored to your assets and family circumstances:

Customized Revocable Living Trust
Pour-Over Will
Health care planning documents, when included in the engagement
General Assignment of tangible personal property
Planning meeting
Reasonable revisions before execution
Certification or Memorandum of Trust
Durable Financial Power of Attorney
HIPAA authorization, when included
Basic trust-funding instructions
Execution and signing meeting
Additional planning may be appropriate for clients with multiple properties, business interests, beneficiaries receiving means-tested government benefits, out-of-state property, non-U.S. assets, or other complex circumstances
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Is a Trust Right for You?

Who should consider a trust?

A revocable living trust may be particularly useful if you:
01
Own multiple pieces of real estate, or rental and investment property
02
Own a closely held business or LLC
03
Want to minimize probate administration
04
Want a clear plan for incapacity
05
Have significant investment accounts
06
Have a blended family
07
Want to provide for children or beneficiaries over time
08
Have a beneficiary receiving SSI, Medicaid, or other means-tested benefits
09
Own property outside North Carolina

Estate planning and real estate belong together.

For many families, real estate is their largest asset. We review how property is titled, how it should pass at death, whether it should be transferred to the trust, and how mortgages, survivorship rights, rental properties, and out-of-state real estate fit into the overall plan.

Because our practice also handles sophisticated real estate matters, we approach trust funding with an understanding of the title and ownership issues that often get overlooked.
Flat-Fee Planning

Clear fees, set at the outset.

Most trust engagements are handled on a flat-fee basis, with the fee determined at the outset based on the complexity of the plan and the assets involved.

You will know the scope and the fee before any work begins.
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