Free Retirement Education
Trust Checklist
Estate attorneys bill by the hour. Walk in with this list and the meeting is about decisions — not paperwork.
Educational only. This content is general retirement education — not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Every situation is different; if you'd like Ebby to look at yours, use Talk With Ebby.
Documents to bring
- Current will, trust, POAs, and healthcare directives (even old ones)
- Deeds for all real estate you own
- Recent statements: IRAs, 401(k)s, brokerage, bank accounts
- Life insurance and annuity declaration pages
- Business ownership documents (LLC operating agreements, S-corp stock)
- Prenuptial or postnuptial agreements
- Divorce decrees, if applicable
Information to have ready
- Full legal names, birthdays, and addresses of your spouse, children, and grandchildren
- Approximate balance on every account
- Current beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance
- Titling on the home and other property (JTWROS? Community property?)
Decisions to make before you walk in
- Successor trustee. Who runs the trust if you can't?
- Executor of the will. Same person, or different?
- Guardian for any minor or dependent family member.
- Distribution. Equal shares? Age-based staggering? Special-needs trust?
- Charitable intent. Any percentage or specific gifts?
- Powers of attorney. Who — financial and medical.
What if…
You set up a trust — and never funded it
A trust only controls assets that are retitled into it. I've seen families pay $3,000 for a trust, then leave the house and the brokerage in their own names — and go straight through probate anyway. Ask your attorney to walk through the funding step by step.
Before you book the attorney
Ask Ebby if a trust is even the right move
Not every family needs a trust. Some do, badly. Tell me the basics — your state, whether you own a home, whether you have minor beneficiaries — and I'll tell you honestly whether it's worth the appointment. No products, no sales pressure, no obligation.
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