How difficult is the funding process?
It’s not difficult, but it will take some time. Because living trusts are now so widely used, you should meet with little or no resistance when transferring your assets. For some assets, a short assignment document will be used. Others will require written instructions from you. Most can be handled by mail or telephone. Some institutions will want to see proof that your living trust exists. To satisfy them, your trust attorney will prepare what is often called a certificate of trust. This is a shortened version of your revocable trust that verifies your trust’s existence, explains the powers given to the trustee and identifies the trustees, but it does not reveal any information about your assets, your beneficiaries and their inheritances. While the process isn’t difficult, it’s easy to get sidetracked or procrastinate. Just make funding your living trust a priority and keep going until you’re finished. Make a list of your assets, their values and locations, then start with the most va
