Do I need a revocable living trust?

Maybe. Common reasons to establish a revocable living trust include avoiding probate, planning for incapacity, and coordinating complex beneficiary situations. Some smaller estates may only need a will, proper beneficiary designations, and correct account titling. The right solution depends on your estate size, property ownership, and family circumstances.

What's the difference between revocable and irrevocable trusts?

A revocable trust can generally be changed or revoked during the grantor's lifetime and is commonly used for probate avoidance and incapacity planning. An irrevocable trust usually cannot be changed once funded and is commonly used for asset protection, estate tax planning, and charitable planning.

Do you set up Delaware or asset-protection trusts?

No. We coordinate revocable living trust planning but do not establish advanced asset-protection structures such as Delaware Statutory Trusts, Domestic Asset Protection Trusts, or offshore trusts. When appropriate, we coordinate with attorneys who specialize in those legal structures.

What does it mean to fund a trust?

Funding a trust means transferring ownership of assets into the trust or updating beneficiary designations where appropriate. Without funding, a trust generally does not control your assets, making this one of the most important steps in implementing an estate plan.

What about retirement accounts?

Retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401(k)s generally should not be retitled into a trust during your lifetime because doing so can create a taxable distribution. Instead, the trust or individual beneficiaries may be named on the beneficiary designation, depending on your estate planning goals and tax situation.

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5/5

Trust Planning In Coordination With Your Estate Attorney

Trust planning coordinated with your estate attorney so the documents and the financial accounts line up. We handle the planning and the funding; the attorney drafts. Revocable living trusts only.

Schedule A Consultation Call (561) 210-7339

Fiduciary CFP® Attorney-Coordinated Revocable Trusts Only Account Titling

WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE US

A trust without proper account titling is a binder full of paper.

Coordinate with your attorney

Your estate attorney drafts the trust. We make sure the accounts get titled, the beneficiaries get updated, and the funding actually happens.

Revocable living trusts only

Beth handles revocable living trust coordination. We don't set up Delaware Statutory Trusts, Utah asset-protection structures, or offshore vehicles.

Trust funding, done right

An empty trust does nothing. We work with the attorney to make sure each asset gets retitled (or assigned via beneficiary) into the trust the way the document expects.

Beneficiary review across all accounts

Retirement accounts and life insurance pass by beneficiary designation, not by the trust. We make sure those designations align with the trust strategy.

Long-term, not transactional

We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.

South Florida-rooted, nationally licensed

Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.

What this page is for.

For Florida clients who need or already have a revocable living trust as part of their estate plan, this page covers the financial-side work we do alongside your estate attorney. The trust document itself comes from the attorney. The account titling, the beneficiary designations, the asset coordination, and the ongoing reviews come from us.

Most clients who come to us with existing trusts have funded them incompletely. The trust document says one thing and the actual account titles, beneficiary designations, and TOD/POD instructions say another. The job is making them match.

What we cover.

Revocable living trust coordination. Working with your estate attorney to make sure the trust does what you want and the assets actually get into it.
Asset retitling. Brokerage accounts, real estate, bank accounts. Each asset needs the right titling decision (in the trust, beneficiary-named, or kept outside).
Beneficiary review. Retirement accounts and life insurance bypass the trust unless specifically named. We audit every account.
Successor trustee planning. Who serves, what they'll need, and the documentation they'll need to access if something happens to you.
Annual review. Trusts go out of date. Beneficiaries change. We review the structure as part of the broader planning relationship.
Charitable trust coordination. For clients using charitable remainder or charitable lead trusts, the same coordination work applies.

Beth handles revocable living trust coordination only. We don't draft trust documents (that's your estate attorney). We don't set up Delaware Statutory Trusts, Utah Domestic Asset Protection Trusts, offshore trusts, or other advanced asset-protection structures. If your situation calls for those, we refer you to an attorney who specializes in that area and continue handling the financial coordination.

The reason for the scope is honesty. The complex asset-protection world is a real field that requires specialized legal training. Pretending to offer it when we don't specialize would be a disservice. We focus on what we actually do well.

RELATED SERVICES

Where trust planning fits.

Trust work connects to several other planning areas:

Estate Planning

The hub. Trusts are one tool inside the broader estate plan.

See estate planning

Charitable Giving Strategies

Charitable remainder and charitable lead trusts are a specific category we coordinate.

See charitable giving strategies

Inheritance Planning

For trust beneficiaries who inherit assets. The planning that has to happen at the receiving end.

See inheritance planning

Who This Is For

Common trust planning situations.

Trust coordination shows up most in these life stages:

Pre-Retirees Setting Up Estate Plans Widows Updating Plans Divorced Women Updating Beneficiaries Business Owners With Complex Estates Inheritors of Trust Assets

What we don't do.

Contact Us Today

We don't lead with proprietary products, structured notes, or non-traded REITs as a portfolio building block. We don't take custody of your assets. We don't promise market-beating returns. The honest answer is that nobody who has to tell the truth to a regulator can.

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Schedule Your Free Consultation

No obligation. We respond the same business day.

QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Common questions about Trust Planning

Maybe. The most common reasons to set up a revocable living trust in Florida are to avoid probate, manage incapacity, or coordinate more complicated beneficiary situations. Many smaller estates do fine with a will plus proper beneficiary designations and account titling. The right answer depends on the size of the estate, whether you own property in multiple states, and your family structure. Your estate attorney makes the call; we help you decide whether to have the conversation.
A revocable trust can be changed or undone at any time by the person who set it up. Most people use revocable trusts for probate avoidance and incapacity planning. An irrevocable trust, once funded, generally can't be modified or undone. Irrevocable trusts are used for asset protection, estate-tax reduction, and specific charitable structures. Beth handles revocable trust coordination only.
No. Beth's scope is revocable living trust coordination. Delaware Statutory Trusts, Utah Domestic Asset Protection Trusts, offshore trusts, and similar advanced structures require specialized legal training. If your situation calls for one of those, we'll refer you to an attorney who works in that area, and we'll continue handling the financial coordination side.
Funding a trust means actually retitling assets into the trust's name (or naming the trust as beneficiary, where appropriate). An unfunded trust is just paperwork; it doesn't control any assets. The funding step is where most estate plans break down, and it's where we spend a lot of time on the coordination side.
Retirement accounts (IRAs, 401(k)s) generally shouldn't be retitled into a trust during your lifetime, because doing so triggers a taxable distribution. Instead, you name the trust (or specific individuals) as beneficiary. The strategy depends on who the beneficiaries are, their tax brackets, and the trust's structure. We work through the beneficiary designations as part of the broader plan.

FIND US

Two offices, one team.

Boca Raton (Home Office)

1200 North Federal Highway, Suite 300

Boca Raton, FL 33432

(561) 210-7339

Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET

Plantation

7901 SW 6th Court, Suite 320

Plantation, FL 33324

(954) 809-3553

Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET

Serving

South Florida cities and neighborhoods

Palm Beach County

Boca Raton Highland Beach Delray Beach Boynton Beach West Palm Beach Palm Beach Palm Beach Gardens

Broward County

Plantation Fort Lauderdale Coral Springs Weston Cooper City Parkland

Ready to talk about trust planning?

The first meeting is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll talk about where you are, what you're working through, and whether Intercoastal is the right fit. In person in Boca Raton or Plantation, or by video from anywhere.

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Trust Planning