The step most firms skip
Fund your trust. That’s the step that makes it work.
Signing was the second-to-last step, not the last one. A trust only controls what’s actually in it. If we prepared your plan, the house and the company are part of the work. Banks and investments come next.
“Funding” means putting the house, the accounts, and the other assets into that box — by changing how they’re titled and who is named on them. Until that’s done, those assets can still go through probate, which is the thing you set up a trust to avoid.
If we prepared your plan, the real estate is funded as part of the work — the first property’s recording is included. Business interests are funded when it’s needed and allowed.
Banks, brokerages, and other accounts are different. You get written funding instructions in the binder, then an educational email sequence after you sign that walks you through those. We don’t log into your bank for you. If you get stuck, call (801) 872-9889 and we’ll walk you through it.
Why a trust has to be funded
Think of the trust as a container. The document creates the box and names who’s in charge. An empty box does nothing. Funding is moving assets into it so they pass under the trust’s instructions instead of through the courts.
A beautifully written trust can still fail completely if the assets were never moved. That’s the most common estate-planning mistake, and it’s avoidable.
Step 1: Your home
For most families, the house is the largest asset. As part of the plan, Jon funds the real estate — he prepares and records the deed. The first property’s recording is included. Additional properties: you pay the extra filing and recording costs only. Your copy is in the binder, behind the Trust Assets tab.
If you’re not sure whether the house was transferred, or you own property in another state, tell us. Out-of-state property is handled separately when he’s licensed there (Utah, Arizona, and Texas). Without that deed, your family can still face probate there.
Step 2: Bank and credit-union accounts
Call each bank. You can say: “I have a revocable living trust and I’d like to retitle my accounts into the name of the trust.” They’ll have a form and usually ask for your Certificate of Trust. The written instructions in your binder, and the follow-up email sequence after you sign, walk through this.
This covers checking, savings, and CDs. You usually don’t close anything or open new accounts. You’re changing the name on the account.
Step 3: Investment and brokerage accounts
Same idea. Contact Schwab, Fidelity, Edward Jones, or your advisor and ask to retitle the account into the trust. If you work with an advisor, they can often handle it in one meeting. This is the part the post-signing emails are written for — we don’t move those accounts for you.
Step 4: Retirement accounts — don’t retitle these
Do not retitle a 401(k) or IRA into the trust. Changing ownership can trigger a tax bill. For retirement accounts, the move is the beneficiary designation, not the title. Check your funding guide, or call before you touch one.
For life insurance and other accounts that let you name a beneficiary, update the beneficiary to the trust unless we advised otherwise. Payable-on-death designations are easy to overlook and they pass outside the will.
Step 5: Business interests, and telling two people
If you own an LLC or corporation, Jon funds those business interests when it’s needed and allowed — assigning the membership interest or shares to the trust, and checking the operating agreement. Tell us about any company you own.
Finally, tell two people where the binder is: your successor trustee and one other person you trust. A plan nobody can find is a plan that doesn’t work.
Use the Funding Record in your binder to check off each asset. When everything is in, the plan is doing what you set it up to do. We’d rather you call five times than leave it half-done.
This page is general educational information, not legal advice for your situation. Questions about your own plan? Book a consultation or call.
Funding questions
Funding means transferring ownership of assets into the trust — or coordinating beneficiary designations with it — so the trust actually controls them. As part of the plan, Jon funds the real estate and, when it’s allowed, the business interests. Banks and investments are covered by written instructions plus a post-signing email sequence. Retirement accounts stay in your name; those are coordinated through beneficiaries. A trust only governs what’s been funded into it.
Ready when you are
Stuck on a form? Call.
Funding is the part people put off, and it’s the part that matters most. If anything here is unclear, reach out.