Trusts also can be very useful for asset protection purposes if the creditors of the beneficiary are prevented from reaching the trust's assets. A trust can be an effective way to place assets outside the reach of creditors.
Final answer: A major disadvantage of an Asset Protection Trust is the complexity it adds to long-term need and asset assessments, which can hinder effective financial planning for the future.
An irrevocable trust offers your assets the most protection from creditors and lawsuits. Assets in an irrevocable trust aren't considered personal property. This means they're not included when the IRS values your estate to determine if taxes are owed.
The idea is that the funds you transfer into the asset protection trust no longer belong to you, so creditors cannot demand that they be paid using those funds. However, this also means that once assets are transferred to the trust, they must stay there. You cannot withdraw the funds to use them later.
Ultimately, trustees can only withdraw money from a trust account for specific expenses within certain limitations. Their duties require them to comply with the grantor's wishes. If they breach their fiduciary duties, they will be removed as the trustee and face a surcharge for compensatory damages.
How Much Does an Asset Protection Trust Cost? Asset Protection Trusts in Estate Plans are generally not cheap. For a simple domestic plan that's not complex, legal fees could range anywhere from $2000 to about $4000. More complicated Trusts could run up towards the $5000 range.
Irrevocable living trusts are almost always completely protected from creditors, as they were entirely out of your loved one's ownership and control. Other types of trusts that do not go through probate, such as revocable trusts or charitable trusts, can still be claimed by creditors, at the court's discretion.
An asset protection trust (APT) is a complex financial planning tool designed to protect your assets from creditors. APTs offer the strongest protection you can find from creditors, lawsuits, or judgments against your estate. These vehicles are structured as either "domestic" or "foreign" asset protection trusts.
Revocable Trusts
Say, for example, that they place their house in a trust, they can then sell the property or remove it from the trust at any time. For these trusts, the assets within them remain part of the grantor's taxable estate, meaning it receives no creditor protection. However, they do avoid probate.
Irrevocable trusts
This can give you greater protection from creditors and estate taxes. As stated above, you can set up your will or revocable trust to automatically create irrevocable trusts at the time of your death.
Thus, the assets are protected from creditors without breaching tax evasion laws. However, the use of APT comes with many drawbacks. One of them being that it cannot be revoked or overturned after the creation of the trust since it involves the use of legal ownership power, which must be given up for asset protection.
For example, since California no longer has a Medicaid eligibility asset limit, there is no longer a lookback period. Creating a MAPT can be expensive, with fees ranging from $2,000 to $12,000. They may not be cost-effective for families with assets valued at under $100,000.
Best States For Asset Protection Trusts
Alaska, Nevada, and Delaware stand out as prime choices for establishing trusts with a specific eye towards asset protection, but each comes with its unique legal nuances.
Most MAPTs are established as “grantor trusts,” meaning the income they generate is taxable to the trust's creator (the grantor or settlor). If the trust was established by your mother, she is responsible for the trust's income on her tax returns, regardless of whether she directly receives any income.
With a trust, there is no automatic judicial review. While this speeds up the process for beneficiaries, it also increases the risk of mismanagement. Trustees may not always act in the best interests of beneficiaries, and without court oversight, beneficiaries must take legal action if they suspect wrongdoing.
Probate can be a long and expensive process, but an asset protection trust would allow your heirs to avoid it for the assets included in the trust. The main drawback of an asset protection trust is that it's irrevocable. Once assets are transferred to the trust, you can't change your mind and take them back out again.
If you already have some legal experience, you might see how an asset protection trust is excellent for protecting assets from litigation and creditors. By removing ownership of the valuable assets in question away from you and your immediate family members, you make those assets practically untouchable…
A revocable trust doesn't protect assets from a nursing home because it gives the grantor ownership of the assets. Instead, an irrevocable trust (specifically in the form of a MAPT) can protect your wealth from nursing homes and clear the way for you to receive Medicaid assistance.
As a result, a creditor could go after the trust, seek its termination, and gain access to assets within it. So, to be absolutely clear: A revocable living trust does not protect assets from creditors.
They can be sold, but these transactions are typically more complicated than traditional home sales. Selling a home in California will take time. Even if you have a motivated buyer, the transaction still might not be completed for several weeks or months after an offer has been accepted.
Under California law, embezzling trust funds or property valued at $950 or less is a misdemeanor offense and is punishable by up to 6 months in county jail. If a trustee embezzles more than $950 from the trust, they can be charged with felony embezzlement, which carries a sentence of up to 3 years in jail.
There is no minimum. You can create a trust with any amount of assets, as long as they have some value and can be transferred to the trust. However, just because you can doesn't necessarily mean you should. Trusts can be complicated.
One of the biggest mistakes parents make when setting up a trust fund is choosing the wrong trustee to oversee and manage the trust. This crucial decision can open the door to potential theft, mismanagement of assets, and family conflict that derails your child's financial future.
A will may be the least expensive and most efficient choice for small estates with easily transferred assets and simple bequests. A trust without a will can present problems concerning assets outside the trust that become subject to intestacy laws. Larger and more complex estates may benefit by using both arrangements.