• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.

Attorneys & Counselors

Call Now: (281) 759-3213

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS
LP Payment button
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Mission Statement
    • Multimedia
    • Published Books
    • The Academy Fellow Designation
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
      • Are You A Caregiver
      • Coping With Alzheimer’s
      • Guardianship & Conservatorship
      • Hospice Care
      • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Veteran’s Benefits
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
    • Client Testimonials
    • Representative Clients
    • Review Us
  • Resources
    • Areas We Serve
      • Baytown
      • Conroe
      • Galveston
      • Houston
      • Pasadena
      • Woodlands
      • West University Place
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Galveston Elder Law
      • Houston Elder Law
      • Sugar Land Elder Law
      • West University Place Elder Law
      • Woodlands Elder Law
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top Estate Planning Techniques
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Avoidance Tax Planning FAQs
      • Avoiding Probate FAQs
      • Business Succession Planning FAQs
      • Charitable Gifting FAQs
      • Elder Law FAQs
      • Estate Planning FAQs
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • IRA and Retirement Planning FAQs
      • Legacy Wealth Planning FAQs
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning Frequently Asked Questions
      • Living Trusts FAQs
      • Medicaid FAQs
      • Nursing Home Planning FAQs
      • Pet Planning FAQs
      • Power of Attorney FAQs
      • Probate FAQs
      • Trust Administration FAQs
      • Trust Administration & Probate FAQs
      • Trusts FAQs
      • Veterans Benefits FAQs
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Probate Resources
      • Houston Probate
      • Sugarland Probate
      • Woodlands Probate
      • West University Place Probate
    • Probate & Trust Administration Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Special Needs Resources
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
Home » BLOG » The Living Trust Checklist

The Living Trust Checklist

August 24, 2011 by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

Before setting up a living trust as part of your estate planning process, you need to think through some of the things that should be included. First, you need to figure out whether you want an individual or shared trust. If you are in a domestic partnership or you are married, then look to see if most of your property is jointly owned. If so, a shared trust might be the best way to go.

 

Next you want to decide who will inherit your property under the trust. This is typically family members, charities or friends. Make sure to make alternate plans and beneficiaries too. You also want to decide which items you will leave in the trust such as your more expensive possessions that you don’t want to have to go through the probate process.

 

You will need to choose a person who will become your successor trustee that will be able to distribute all the property to your beneficiaries after you have passed away. You should speak with that person to make sure that they are able to take on that responsibility, however. If your children are inheriting any property and are still under age, you may need to also choose someone who can manage the property until they are of legal age.

 

An estate planning attorney can make sure that all of the legalities required to have a valid trust are met. For instance, you need to understand whether the trust requires to be signed in front of a notary. There are also small legal procedures that need to take place to make sure that your trust will be valid. Once you have a trust document, make sure that you store it in a safe place and let your loved ones know where to find it.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Famous Estates-Champ or Chump? Nelson Mandela - September 27, 2019
  • Famous Estates-Champ or Chump? Jane Fonda - September 13, 2019
  • Texas Trivia – Name the first of six flags to fly over Texas. - September 6, 2019

Filed Under: Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts Tagged With: living trust

Other Articles You May Find Useful

  • Do You Need to Include Asset Protection Planning in Your Estate Plan?
  • If You Own Significant Assets in another Country You Might Need an International Will
  • What to Do After Winning the Big Lottery Jackpot
  • Divorce and Estate Planning for Texans: Part 2 of 3
  • Divorce and Estate Planning for Texans: Part 1 of 3
  • Estate Planning & Asset Protection
  • About Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

    Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.

    Primary Sidebar

    The Mendel Law Firm

    Follow Us

    • FB
    • TW
    • IN
    • RSS

    Blog Subscription

    Plan For Your Future and Protect Your Legacy

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    HOUSTON

    The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.
    1155 Dairy Ashford, Suite 104
    Houston 77079
    United States (US)
    Phone: (281) 759-3213
    Fax: 281-759-3214

    Map

    map

    Office Hours

    Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

    Footer

    The Mendel Law Firm

    The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an
    attorney-client relationship.

    © 2021 Mendel Law Firm, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys