Probate is the court process where a judge signs orders to ensure that your estate pays your debts, your next of kin are notified about your death, and your property gets handed out.

BUT! If you properly fund a revocable living trust and keep your trust relevant to your changing life, it is possible to completely avoid probate! (Sorry, Connecticut! This is NOT TRUE for you.)

• No attorney or judge or court case necessary

• Your document is private, so no public filing or recording necessary

• After you pass, your personally nominated trustee can use your death certificate to distribute your property to your beneficiaries as soon as possible

UNLESS...you pass away before all of your assets have been assigned or funded into your trust, which happens in sometimes unavoidable situations.

Not only do you manage your property for the entirety of your life, but your trust gives you the power to set up the rules for when, how, and to whom your property will be distributed after you are gone.

Unlike a last will and testament that takes effect at the time of probate, the attorney can help you design your trust to manage property for your loved ones for years to come -- outline care for your children and pets, leave periodic distributions for your best friends to have a drink on you for their birthday every year, send your significant other on one last romantic trip to remember you. Your legacy is yours to control!

There's no way to sugarcoat it. A trust can be several thousand dollars out of your pocket and is almost always more expensive than the commonly requested last will and testament.

But! A trust is almost always less than the amount spent to hire an attorney and go through probate. A trust gives you the power to manage your property throughout your life and for as long as necessary after your passing. And Chosen Legacy Law teaches you to manage your trust yourself!