• Our Firm
  • Practice Areas
    • Business Entities
    • Charitable Planning
    • Employee Benefits/ERISA
    • Estate and Gift Taxes
    • Estate Planning
    • Income Tax Law
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Non-Profit/Tax Exempt
    • Probate/Estate Admin.
    • Tax Controversies
    • Wills and Trusts
  • Attorneys
    • Robert E. August
    • Jonathan R. Colao
    • Phillip J. Martin
    • Keith G. Meacham
    • W. Verne McGough, Jr.
    • Andrew D. Merline
    • David A. Merline, Jr.
    • Marie Monroe
    • J. Aaron Nelson, Jr.
    • Douglas B. O’Neal
    • David M. Thompson
  • Firm News
  • Resources
  • call Us Today
    864.242.4080
Merline & Meacham, PA
Contact Us

Trust in a trust to keep assets secure

October 18, 2022
by Merline & Meacham, PA
Resources

Whether the economic climate is stable or volatile, one thing never changes: the need to protect your assets from risk. Hazards may occur as a result of factors entirely outside of your control, such as the stock market or the economy. It’s even possible that dangers lie closer to home, including the behavior of your heirs and creditors. In any case, it’s wise to consider taking steps to mitigate potential peril. One such step is to set up a trust.

Make sure it’s irrevocable

A trust can be a great way to protect your assets — but it must become the owner of the assets and be irrevocable. That is, you as the grantor can’t modify or terminate the trust after it has been set up. This is the opposite of a revocable trust, which allows the grantor to modify the trust.

Once you transfer assets into an irrevocable trust, you’ve effectively removed all of your rights of ownership to the assets and the trust. The benefit is that, because the property is no longer yours, it’s unavailable to satisfy claims against you.

Placing assets in a trust won’t allow you to sidestep responsibility for any debts or claims that are already outstanding at the time you fund the trust. There may also be a substantial “look-back” period that could negate the protection that would otherwise be provided.

Consider a spendthrift trust

If you’re concerned about what will happen to your assets after they pass to the next generation, you may want to consider a “spendthrift” trust. Despite the name, a spendthrift trust does more than just protect your heirs from themselves. It can protect your family’s assets against dishonest business partners or unscrupulous creditors.

The trust also protects loved ones in the event of relationship changes. For example, if your son divorces, his spouse generally won’t be able to claim a share of the trust property in the divorce settlement.

Several trust types can be designated as a spendthrift trust — you just need to add a spendthrift clause to the trust document. This type of clause restricts a beneficiary’s ability to assign or transfer his or her interests in the trust, and it restricts the rights of creditors to reach the trust assets. But a spendthrift trust won’t avoid claims from your own creditors unless you relinquish any interest in the trust assets.

Bear in mind that the protection offered by a spendthrift trust isn’t absolute. Depending on applicable law, it’s possible for government agencies to reach the trust assets to, for example, satisfy a delinquent tax debt.

You can gain greater protection against creditors’ claims if you give your trustee more discretion over trust distributions. If the trust requires the trustee to make distributions for a beneficiary’s support, for example, a court may rule that a creditor can reach the trust assets to satisfy support-related debts. For increased protection, give the trustee full discretion over whether and when to make distributions. You’ll need to balance the potentially competing objectives of having the access you want and preventing others from having access against your wishes.

Secure your assets

Obviously, you can choose from many types of trusts, depending on your particular circumstances. Talk to us to help you determine which type of trust is best for you going forward.

© 2022

Share
Previous Post
New Family Estate Planning Video-- Common IRA Beneficiary Scenarios
Next Post
What local transportation costs can your business deduct?
Categories
  • News
  • Resources
  • Uncategorized

Greenville Office

812 East North Street, Greenville, SC 29601

Phone: 864.242.4080

Fax: 864.242.5758

Columbia Office

190 Knox Abbott Drive, Suite 3B, Cayce, SC 29033

Phone: 803.814.0027

Fax: 803.658.4732

Quick Links
  • Our Firm
  • Practice Areas
  • Attorneys
  • Firm News
  • Resources
  • Contact
FOLLOW US
Facebook
LinkedIn
CONTACT US TODAY

    Copyright Merline & Meacham, PA © 2022. All Rights Reserved.

    This website is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney/client relationship.

    Digital Partner - WebSpeak Media

    • Our Firm
    • Practice Areas
      • Business Entities
      • Charitable Planning
      • Employee Benefits/ERISA
      • Estate and Gift Taxes
      • Estate Planning
      • Income Tax Law
      • Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Non-Profit/Tax Exempt
      • Probate/Estate Admin.
      • Tax Controversies
      • Wills and Trusts
    • Attorneys
      • Robert E. August
      • Jonathan R. Colao
      • Phillip J. Martin
      • Keith G. Meacham
      • W. Verne McGough, Jr.
      • Andrew D. Merline
      • David A. Merline, Jr.
      • Marie Monroe
      • J. Aaron Nelson, Jr.
      • Douglas B. O’Neal
      • David M. Thompson
    • Firm News
    • Resources