M59
Gold Member
Sigarms,You need to get the proper paperwork from who is handling the 401K to sign off on listing your trust as the beneficiary. You most likely have your wife or someone else significant to you listed as the primary beneficiary.
End of day, anything you or your wife have in any assets should have the trust listed as a beneficiary as well (bank accounts, CD's, other investments), unless someone else who isn't listed in the trust as the primary executor is listed at the primary beneficiary in other capital assets.
In my fathers case, since my mom died, he listed me as a primary in their (my parents) family trust and took my mom off the trust (he updated it when he moved to NC, which was a little bit of a hassle due to some variances in different state laws).
If everything is listed in you and your wife's name and not the estate, it goes without saying that if either of you two are listed as an executor in the trust and one of you dies, any capital assets will inevitably go to the other via the trust, but by listing the trust as a beneficiary, this makes it painless and no questions asked.
I'm not a lawyer, but this is what our estate attorney told us.
Even my sons whole life insurance policy is being turned over to the family trust via beneficiary (son is listed as an executor, but not for another couple of decades to see how he plays out "life wise" now that he's 18).
Seems to be a lot of work to keep the legal system out when you die LOL
Thing is, my dad wasn't a wealthy man monetarily wise, but with him keeping his trust updated with no will, transferring what he had in his life to me was absolutely painless. You don't have to be rich to have a estate, but I will tell your our lawyer costs us $2,500, but to us for what we have worked for and now own, that money was well worth spending.
Never think about dying unexpectedly, but it can happen.
I would be careful with using only a Trust instead of a Will and Trust(s). A will is a catchall document that describes to the probate court what the various estate holdings are and might ever be and how to transfer the holdings in any of a number of events including incapacitation. Wills are crafted according to state of residency and should be periodically updated as state law changes. Trusts tend to be holders of very specific assets and come in both revocable and irrevocable and, I believe, apply only upon death of Trustor ( Trust creator ) OR at a pre defined time within the Trust. for example. I have set up Irrevocable Trusts for several nephews and they can see trust contents but can not access contents until they turn 55 years of age.
An estate attorney is the best person for reviewing a person's present and expected future estate and then providing guidance on how best to protect the estate from government taxes, discretion, delays, etc and limiting the ability of any party from contesting the assets being transferred along with removing assets from public view.
The above may be even more important now that a number of states are considering wealth taxes, where the estate is looking for total assets both inside their state and outside their state. Probably illegal is contested in courts BUT never-the-less a possibility than could become extremely painful.
It is painful to work hard for many years all while paying income taxes and then get taxed again. That is why Money Walks from some states to other states.