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

Kuhn and Kuhn Law Firm

South Carolina Estate Planning Attorneys

  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Talkin Law
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Charleston Pet Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family Farms and Businesses
    • Healthcare Documents and DPOAs
    • Incapacity Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Living Trusts
    • Probate
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Will Packages
  • Reports
    • Advanced Estate Planning
    • Basic Estate Planning
    • Estate Planning for Niches
    • Trust Administration
  • Resources
    • Client Resources – Estate Planning
    • Consumer Resources – Estate Planning  
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Professional Resources
  • Contact Us
    • Directions to Our Charleston Office
  • Blog
Home / General / Avoid Probate With A Revocable Living Trust

Avoid Probate With A Revocable Living Trust

December 14, 2011 by John Kuhn, Estate Planning Attorney

A lot of people are under the impression that the process of estate planning revolves around drawing up a last will. While it is true that the last will is the most well known and commonly used vehicle of asset transfer in the field of estate planning it is not your only option and in many cases it is not the best one.

The primary reason why people often decide to go another route is because your estate must pass through the process of probate when you transfer your assets to your heirs with a last will. Probate is often avoided for a few different reasons. One of these is the fact that it is time consuming. Depending on the jurisdiction and the circumstances it can take anywhere from perhaps nine months to several years for the process to run its course, and the heirs to the estate do not receive their inheritances until the estate has been closed.

Probate also provides a forum for those who would choose to contest your wishes, and many people avoid it for this reason. And finally, probate can be expensive due to the court costs and the fees charged by the various professionals who must be involved in the administration of the estate.

One very widely used probate avoidance device is the revocable living trust. You create the trust and name your trustee and beneficiaries, but while you are alive you can retain full control of the assets in the trust. And since it is revocable, you can actually dissolve it or change the terms as you see fit. There are some costs involved in creating the revocable living trust, but in many cases you will save money in the long run and make the transfer of assets much more efficient when it is time for your loved ones to receive their inheritances.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
John Kuhn, Estate Planning Attorney
Former South Carolina State Senator, John Kuhn is a founding partner of the Kuhn & Kuhn Law Firm.The Kuhn & Kuhn Law Firm is a boutique estate planning (wills, trusts and probate) firm, which he and his wife opened in 2002.The law firm was created to serve clients who want an excellent and thorough estate plan.
Latest posts by John Kuhn, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Preparing for Coronavirus - March 10, 2020
  • Incapacity Planning - December 20, 2018
  • Special Accounts for People with Special Needs - December 17, 2018

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Estate Planning, Inheritance Planning, Probate

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Blog

Kuhn & Kuhn Law Firm

Charleston
473 Savannah Highway
Charleston, SC 29407
Phone: 843-577-3700

Charleston Map

map for Charleston office

Kuhn & Kuhn Law Firm

Summerville
421 Old Trolley Road
Summerville, SC 29485
Phone: Our Satellite Office

Summerville Map

map for Summerville office

Opening Hours

Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

  • About The Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Kuhn and Kuhn Law Firm
All Rights Reserved.
Attorney Advertisement

footer-logo

Subscribe to our newsletter

  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • Twitter

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

Copyright © 2023 · Kuhn & Kuhn on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in