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Businessman taking notes and planning in a meeting

Q: How many elephants will fit into a Minivan?

A: Four: Two in the front, two in the back.

Q: How many giraffes will fit into a Minivan?

A: None. It’s full of elephants.

Jokes aside, you can fit just about any asset into a trust. Here is a “short” list of assets actually placed into trusts:

  1. Airplanes
  2. Antique automobiles
  3. Antiques
  4. Artwork
  5. Assets held by C Corporation
  6. Assets held by S Corporation
  7. Autographed books
  8. Barn doors
  9. Beach house
  10. Beanie Babies
  11. Boats
  12. Bonds
  13. Books
  14. Bookstore
  15. Boxes
  16. Boxing gloves
  17. Broadway musical
  18. C Corporation stock
  19. Cheese shoppe
  20. Chocolate store specializing in “I love chocolate” t-shirts
  21. Chocolate store specializing in baking chocolate
  22. Chocolate store specializing in bars of chocolate
  23. Chocolate store specializing in candy-coated chocolate
  24. Chocolate store specializing in chocolate and almonds
  25. Chocolate store specializing in chocolate mixed with peanut butter
  26. Chocolate store specializing in couverture chocolate
  27. Chocolate store specializing in dark chocolate
  28. Chocolate store specializing in milk chocolate
  29. Chocolate store specializing in organic chocolate
  30. Chocolate store specializing in hot chocolate
  31. Chocolate store specializing in liqueurs chocolate
  32. Chocolate store specializing in semi dark chocolate
  33. Chocolate store specializing in sweet chocolate
  34. Chocolate store specializing in white chocolate
  35. Chocolate store* (You’re now probably quizzically asking, “Should I send Gordong chocolate?”)
  36. Coin collections
  37. Comic books collection
  38. Commercial and residential real estate
  39. Condominiums
  40. Credit card rebates
  41. Cupcakery
  42. Depression-era glass
  43. Dolls
  44. Enamelware
  45. Equestrian ribbons
  46. Farmland
  47. Ghosts
  48. Gold bullion
  49. Grain
  50. Guitars
  51. Hedge fund carried interest
  52. Historic papers
  53. Installment notes
  54. Intellectual property
  55. Law firm
  56. Life insurance
  57. Limited liability partnerships
  58. Livestock
  59. Marbles
  60. Mineral rights
  61. Monica (my wife)
  62. Moonstone
  63. Music store
  64. Mutual funds
  65. NHL team
  66. Oil and gas interests
  67. Olives
  68. Operating partnership units
  69. Paint-by-number landscapes
  70. Painted planks
  71. Paintings
  72. Patents
  73. Photographs
  74. Pickles
  75. Pooled income funds
  76. Racehorses
  77. Real estate
  78. Restaurant
  79. Restricted stock (144 and 145)
  80. Retained life estate
  81. Retirement benefits
  82. Royalties
  83. S Corporation stock
  84. Sculpture
  85. Sculpture garden
  86. Sea urchins
  87. Seat on New York Mercantile Stock Exchange
  88. Seats at events
  89. Snow globes
  90. Soda pop bottles
  91. Spirits of the damned
  92. Stamp Collection
  93. Stocks
  94. Tangible personal property
  95. Taxidermy
  96. Teddy bears
  97. Timber deeds
  98. Vacation home
  99. Vehicles
  100. Violin
  101. Wines

*Yes, this is a cry for help. I love sweets, especially chocolate, way too much.

Why put assets in trust?

There can be many reasons to use a trust, and specific benefits can accrue from specific trusts. In general, there are four great reasons to initiate a trust.

1. Save money

Using a trust, you avoid probate, which can save you lots of money. Probate will generally take two percent-plus of your estate, and even “just” two percent of your entire estate can add up to a lot of money. Avoiding probate also helps you avoid fees, costs, and taxes.

2. Save time

timer with sand in it

Using a trust, you avoid probate, which can save you lots of time. Going through probate, even here in Iowa, can take several months, to a year, or even more. Your heirs and beneficiaries may not receive their inheritances until the end of this probate process. Again, with trusts, you bypass probate. With trusts, your beneficiaries can get their inheritances in mere days, or weeks, rather than several months.

3. Flexibility of distributions

Don’t want your 18-year-old to inherit half-a-million dollars in one fell swoop? I agree it’s not a good idea. Trusts offer flexibility for the payout of inheritances. You set the ground rules of when and how distributions are made. For example, you might decide your children can receive distributions at certain ages. (For example, one-third at age 25, one-third at age 30, and the remaining at age 40). Or, you might decide your children can receive distributions at the attainment of certain milestones, such as marriage, the birth of a child, buying a first home, or receiving a certain degree

4. Privacy

Probate proceedings are public. Your will, once you pass and it is filed in court, is a public record. Some desire privacy about financial matters (say, about their family business) even after death.

Also, privacy can prevent hurt feelings among family members. For example, do you really want your Cousin Joe to know he received significantly less than all the other cousins?

What are the drawbacks to a trust?

It’s more expensive to set up a trust than basic estate plan documents, although I would say those costs are greatly outweighed by the money you’ll save your estate in the end. It’s also a bit of an administrative hassle, as your assets (such as car, house, stock funds, etc.) have to be retitled in the name of the trust. Again, though, I believe this inconvenience is much outweighed by the smooth operation of a trust at death.

Let’s talk about trusts!

Have an asset that didn’t make the list of 101 items? It can probably still go in a trust (even if it isn’t chocolate related!). Sometimes it’s hard to know if a trust may be right for your personal situation. It certainly doesn’t hurt to take me up on my offer for a free one-hour consultation. Give me a call at 515-371-6077 or shoot me an email at gordon@gordonfischerlawfirm.com.