The Living Trust: The Failproof Way to Pass Along Your Estate to Your Heirs Paperback - 2002

The Bible on How to Avoid Probate, Revised and Updated

"[The Living Trust] is unquestionably the layman's most nearly complete source on living trusts. . . . Recommended reading for anyone who wants to maximize his net estate left to heirs, speed asset distribution after death, avoid will challenges, minimize estate costs, and maintain privacy."
--Robert Bruss, Esq., and nationally syndicated real estate columnist, Chicago Tribune

You may think your heirs have been well provided for, but did you know that:

• Your loved ones may have to wait more than two years before receiving a penny from your estate--even though you have left a legally valid will?
• Costs of probating your will may eat up more than 10 percent of your estate--money your heirs will never receive?
• The specific instructions of your bequest may be contested or changed completely--even though clearly spelled out in your will?
• A will cannot help you in life? If you become incapacitated or your judgment comes into question, it becomes a matter for the courts to decide and is a very public process.

A living trust is a simple, inexpensive legal alternative that eliminates the costs and delays of probate and ensures that your loved ones will receive their inheritance promptly and exactly as you intended. The Living Trust--the bible of how to avoid probate--will show you how to take full advantage of this critical estate-planning tool. This updated edition of The Living Trust includes the latest information on trust formations, tax changes, distribution rules, and more. It also offers:

• Insight into abuses within the probate system
• Advice on how to protect your business, savings, and retirement funds from frivolous lawsuits
• The effects of the Economic Growth and Tax Reconciliation Act of 2001 on estate tax, gift tax, the generation-skipping tax, and stepped-up valuation
• Sample and ancillary documents, including the estate preservation and tax-saving documents, the living will, and costs of living trust, all updated to reflect the latest tax changes and living trust requirements