The 300+ automated forms in our Lipman's Wills & Trusts volume are sophisticated enough for any high-end estate planning, yet flexible enough to cover smaller estates. The forms in this volume cover estate planning, living wills, irrevocable trusts, buy-sell agreements and even pre- & post-marital property agreements.

The following is an article by Mr. Lipman.

For starters, probate is rarely a nightmare in Texas. Stories you read in the paper may lead you to believe otherwise. The heirs of multi-million dollar estates frequently fight it out in court for a larger inheritance. Also, bookstores carry dozens of books which talk at length about the delays and high costs associated with probate.

While it is true probate can be expensive and time-consuming in some other states, in Texas, we have a streamlined system of probate. As long as you hire a lawyer with experience in probate court, you have a well-written will, and nobody files a lawsuit after your death, then probate is typically not so bad.

Even so, living trusts are useful estate planning tools, and they do have their place in many people's estate plans. If you find any one of the following benefits appealing, then a living trust may be appropriate for you.

Advantages

Benefit #1: No court involvement. When a person dies, most properties pass either under a person's will or under a living trust. Some properties — such as life insurance, IRAs, and certain types of bank and brokerage accounts — pass directly to named beneficiaries. If property passes under a will, then the will must be probated at the courthouse. Probate typically entails hiring a lawyer, filing a number of papers with the court, attending a hearing, and providing a written inventory to the court valuing the properties which passed under the will. Some people don't want this type of involvement with the court, so they opt for a living trust. By transferring all properties which would otherwise pass under your will to a living trust, you can avoid the court entirely. For estates that don't owe estate taxes, there is usually less work for the lawyers, and that translates into reduced estate-administration costs.

Benefit #2: Privacy. As mentioned above, when a person dies with a will, an inventory must be filed with the court. You may not want your friends, neighbors, or the media to be able to read a listing of what you own and what it is worth. After all, an inventory is a public record. With a living trust, your properties and their values are all kept private.

Benefit #3: Plan for future incapacity. You may be worried that one day you won't be able to manage your own finances, and you may want to name someone to handle these types of matters for you. You can address this potential problem with a power of attorney or with a living trust. A power of attorney will usually be accepted by banks, title companies, and the like,
but there is always the risk that an institution's legal department will reject it. The same person who may be denied the ability to use a power of attorney will likely be allowed to do anything he or she wants when acting as trustee of a living trust.

Benefit #4: Harder to challenge. If you are planning to disinherit one of your children or grandchildren, you may be better off with a living trust because there is nothing filed at the courthouse. Also, it is a little harder to contest a living trust than a will. Many people are
interested in doing as much as possible to prevent a successful challenge to their estate plan.

Benefit #5: Avoid out-of-state probate. If you own property in another state, you can avoid a costly probate proceeding in that state by transferring the property to a living trust. Before you establish a living trust, you need to understand the downsides, which include the following:

Disadvantages

Disadvantage #1: Time-consuming to set up. Depending on how many different types of properties and accounts you own, it can take quite some time to switch everything over to the name of your living trust. Also, some financial institutions in Texas are not geared up to handle living trusts, so you can expect a little trouble and frustration in getting the trust fully established.

Disadvantage #2: Complicated. Wills are usually shorter and simpler to understand than living trusts. Also, with a will, you can sign it and forget about it. But with a living trust, you need to put your property into the trust and run your life out of it for as long as you live. For many people, this downside outweighs all the potential benefits.

Disadvantage #3: Time-consuming to revoke. A year after you set up the living trust, you may decide you don't want it any more. At this point, you will need to return to every bank and brokerage house, and undo everything you had done to establish the trust. You can expect more lawyers' fees, too.

Disadvantage #4: Post-death costs not eliminated. If you have a taxable estate (which is generally an estate over a million dollars), there will be a lot of work to be done after death, regardless of whether probate is required. Typically, there are tax returns to file, trusts to establish, assets to value, and more. Avoiding probate will only marginally reduce the cost of administering a taxable estate.

Disadvantage #5: May still need to probate will. If you leave just one bank account or one piece of real estate out of the trust, probate will still be necessary. And probate takes about as long when there is one asset as when there are twenty.