A trust is not just an estate planning document. It is the mechanism by which your assets move to the people you intend, on your timeline, without court involvement. Hoog Law drafts revocable living trusts and trust-based estate plans for families and business owners throughout Boulder County.
Schedule a ConsultationA trust transfers ownership of your assets to a legal entity you control during your lifetime. Because assets are owned by the trust rather than by you individually, they pass directly to your beneficiaries after death without court involvement. No probate. No public record. No waiting.
A well-drafted trust also manages your assets if you become incapacitated, and can include provisions protecting minor children or beneficiaries who need long-term oversight of their inheritance.
A revocable living trust lets you retain full control during your lifetime. You can amend or revoke it at any time. Assets remain yours for tax purposes. At death, the trust becomes irrevocable and distributes per your instructions.
An irrevocable trust removes assets from your control and your taxable estate. It is a specialized tool for specific goals, not the starting point for most families.
Avoids probate. Manages assets during incapacity. Maintains privacy. The foundation of most comprehensive estate plans.
Created by your will, takes effect at death. Often used to hold assets for minor children until they reach a specified age.
Provides for a beneficiary with a disability without disqualifying them from Medicaid or SSI.
Removes life insurance proceeds from your taxable estate. Relevant when estate tax exposure is a concern.
No. For some people, a will combined with proper beneficiary designations accomplishes the same goals more simply. A trust makes the most sense if you own real property in more than one state, want to avoid probate, have minor children or beneficiaries needing ongoing management, or want your affairs kept private.
A trust that does not own your assets does not keep those assets out of probate. Hoog Law handles the funding process as part of every trust engagement, including deeds for Colorado real property and coordinating account retitling.
When the trust creator dies, the successor trustee steps in to manage and distribute assets. There are notification obligations, creditor considerations, and potential tax filings. Hoog Law represents successor trustees navigating this process and beneficiaries who have questions about a trust being administered on their behalf.
If you own a business, your estate plan and business succession plan need to be coordinated. Hoog Law handles both, which means the pieces fit together rather than being drafted in isolation.
Hoog Law works with Longmont and Boulder County families on trust-based estate plans designed to protect what matters and spare your family unnecessary complexity.
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