About Jeffrey Smith
Jeffrey Smith, Licensed Insurance Agent and Estate Planning Expert
Jeffrey Smith is a licensed life insurance, health insurance, property and casualty insurance agent and retirement specialist with over a decade of experience. He is the author of CreateALivingTrust.com and Marketing Director of Bulletproof Legacy Financial, based in Medford, Oregon.
Articles by Jeffrey Smith
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Disadvantages of a Revocable Living Trust: Costs, Limits, and Responsibilities
There are a Few Disadvantages of a Revocable Living Trust, Let’s Take a Closer Look at Them Understand Setup and Funding Work, Ongoing Maintenance, Costs, and the Protections a Revocable Trust Does Not Provide A revocable living trust can simplify your estate, but it also comes with real costs, ongoing work, and limits that sales-focused…
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What Assets Go Through Probate—and Which Assets Usually Avoid It?
What Assets Go Through Probate? Property That May—and May Not—Require Court Administration See How Ownership, Beneficiary Designations, Joint Title, and Living Trusts Can Affect What Happens After Death Key Takeaways Here’s the short answer: an asset goes through probate when it’s owned solely in the deceased person’s name and has no legal mechanism—like a beneficiary…
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Living Trust Attorney Fees: What Do Lawyers Charge for a Trust?
Living Trust Attorney Fees: Costs, Billing Methods, and What Services Include Understand Flat Fees, Hourly Rates, Package Pricing, and What May or May Not Be Included Sticker shock is often the first thing people feel when they start asking, “What does a living trust cost?” The honest answer is that living trust attorney fees can…
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What Assets Should Be in a Living Trust?
What Assets Should Be in a Living Trust? A Practical Property Checklist A Practical Checklist for Real Estate, Bank Accounts, Investments, Business Interests, and Other Property Not every asset you own belongs inside your living trust, and putting the wrong one in—or leaving the right one out—can quietly undo months of careful planning. That’s the…
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How to Put a House in a Living Trust: Deeds, Mortgages, and What to Know
How to Put a House in a Living Trust: A Step-by-Step Guide to Deeds and Title Understand the Deed Transfer, Mortgage Considerations, Recording Process, Insurance, and Follow-Up Steps Article-at-a-Glance Putting a house in a living trust comes down to one operative move: recording a deed that transfers title from you, personally, to yourself or another…
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Do You Pay Taxes on a Living Trust? Income, Estate, and Inheritance Taxes Explained
Do You Pay Taxes on a Living Trust? Income, Estate, Capital Gains, and Inheritance Tax Basics Understand Income Tax During Life, What Changes After Death, and How Estate and Inheritance Taxes Fit Into the Picture Key Takeaways Setting up a living trust often comes with a nagging question: will this thing create a tax headache…
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Benefits of a Revocable Living Trust: What It Can and Cannot Do
Revocable Living Trust Benefits: Control, Probate Planning, Privacy, and Incapacity Protection Understand Probate Planning, Incapacity Management, Privacy, Control, and the Important Limits of a Revocable Trust A revocable living trust lets you control your assets while you’re alive, avoid probate for what you actually put into it, and hand off management smoothly if you become…
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What Is Probate and How Does the Probate Process Work?
What Is Probate? Understanding the Court Process From Start to Finish Understand What Happens After Someone Dies, From Filing the Will to Distributing the Estate Article-at-a-Glance Probate is the legal process courts use to settle a person’s affairs after they die, and depending on the size of the estate, it can take anywhere from a…
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How Much Does a Living Trust Cost for a Married Couple?
Living Trust Cost for Married Couple: What Couples Should Expect to Pay What Couples Should Budget for a Trust, Related Documents, Funding, and Future Updates A married couple typically pays anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a basic template to $10,000 or more for a fully customized attorney-drafted plan, depending on complexity, service type,…
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How to Fund a Living Trust: A Complete Asset-by-Asset Guide
How to Fund a Living Trust Properly: Asset Transfers That Make Your Plan Work What to Transfer, What to Handle Differently, and How to Make Your Trust Work as Intended Funding your living trust is the step that actually determines whether it works—skip it, and even the best-drafted trust can leave assets stuck in probate…