SEE HOW TRUSTS WORK
How a Living Trust Works, in Plain Language
A properly funded living trust can help your family avoid probate, keep your affairs private, and keep things moving if you ever can't manage them yourself. Here is how it works, from the day you create it to the day your family needs it.
Based in Oregon • Serving families in many states across the U.S.
SEE HOW TRUSTS WORK
How a Living Trust Works, in Plain Language
A properly funded living trust can help your family avoid probate, keep your affairs private, and keep things moving if you ever can't manage them yourself. Here is how it works, from the day you create it to the day your family needs it.
Based in Oregon • Serving families in many states across the U.S.
ESTATE PLANNING EDUCATION & COORDINATION
Trust-Based Estate Planning for Families Who Want Clarity and Control
We come to you when signatures matter.
Fortis Planning helps families understand and coordinate trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and legacy planning: with a clear, educational process designed to protect the people and property that matter most.
Based in Oregon • Serving families in many states across the U.S.
ESTATE PLANNING EDUCATION & COORDINATION
Trust-Based Estate Planning for Families Who Want Clarity and Control
We come to you when signatures matter.
Fortis Planning helps families understand and coordinate trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and legacy planning: with a clear, educational process designed to protect the people and property that matter most.
Based in Oregon • Serving families in many states across the U.S.
ESTATE PLANNING EDUCATION & COORDINATION
Trust-Based Estate Planning for Families Who Want Clarity and Control
We come to you when signatures matter.
Fortis Planning helps families understand and coordinate trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and legacy planning: with a clear, educational process designed to protect the people and property that matter most.
Based in Oregon • Serving families in many states across the U.S.
THE BASICS
What Is a Living Trust?
A revocable living trust is a legal arrangement you create during your lifetime to hold your assets and spell out what happens to them if you become incapacitated or pass away.
Think of it as a container. You move your home, accounts, and other assets into it, and you stay in full control. You can change it, add to it, or dissolve it at any time while you are alive.
Every trust has three roles. You are the grantor and trustee, managing everything just as you do today. Your successor trustee is the person you choose to step in if you can't, or after you pass. Your beneficiaries are the people and causes who receive your assets, on the timeline and terms you set.
STEP BY STEP
The Life of a Living Trust
A trust is not something you sign and forget. It moves through five stages: you create it, fund it, live with it, rely on it if you become incapacitated, and leave it to do its work after you pass.
WHY FAMILIES CHOOSE A TRUST
What a Properly Funded Trust Can Do
Avoids Probate
Assets held in the trust pass to your family without the court process, the 6 to 18 month wait, or the probate costs.
Keeps Things Private
Probate files are public. A trust is generally settled privately, so your assets, debts, and beneficiaries stay out of the court record.
Lets Your Family Act Quickly
Your successor trustee can pay bills and handle needs without waiting on a judge to authorize it.
Plans for Incapacity
Paired with powers of attorney and healthcare documents, a trust lets the people you trust step in if you can't speak for yourself.
Protects Your Heirs
You can control how and when heirs receive assets, such as staged distributions for young adults or protections for a child with special needs.
May Reduce Taxes
Depending on your estate and how the trust is structured, there may be tax advantages. We coordinate with your CPA on this.
THE STEP MOST PEOPLE MISS
A Trust Is Only as Good as What's In It
Creating a trust is only half the job. If your home and accounts are never transferred into it, the trust has nothing to protect, and those assets still go through probate.
Many attorneys finish their work once the documents are signed. The funding is often left to the family, and it quietly never gets done. In fact, 1 in 4 trusts we review offers no protection at all because it was never properly funded.
"A trust that is not funded is useless."
IT HAPPENS TO CAREFUL FAMILIES TOO
Why We Keep Checking
Chris's mother and stepfather had a trust for decades. They did everything right. Then they bought a new home, and no one retitled it into the trust. If something had happened to them, that house would have gone straight to probate.
Life changes, and a trust has to keep up with it. A new home, a new account, an inheritance, a marriage, a divorce, or a new business can all leave gaps. That is why we coordinate funding with you and then review your plan every year.
A COMPLETE PLAN
The Documents That Work With Your Trust
A trust handles the assets inside it. A complete plan adds a companion will, a financial power of attorney, a medical power of attorney, an advance directive, and a HIPAA authorization to cover healthcare decisions and anything held outside the trust.
WORKING WITH FORTIS PLANNING
How We Help You Get It Right
Our dedicated staff stays with you through the entire process, not just while documents are being created. It starts with a free 60-minute consultation, moves through plan design, signing, and trust funding, and continues with annual reviews.
QUESTIONS
Living Trust FAQs
Do I lose control of my assets if I put them in a trust?
No. With a revocable living trust, you are usually the trustee. You keep managing, using, buying, and selling your assets just as you do today, and you can change or dissolve the trust at any time.
Is a living trust only for wealthy families?
No. If you own a home, you likely have an estate that could benefit. Probate costs are often figured on the gross value of the estate, so even an average home can make probate expensive.
What does it mean to fund a trust?
Funding means transferring ownership of your assets into the trust, such as retitling your home and updating your accounts. A trust that is not funded does not hold your assets, and those assets may still go through probate.
What happens to my trust if I become incapacitated?
Your successor trustee can step in to manage the assets held in the trust without a court process. Your powers of attorney and healthcare documents cover healthcare decisions and anything outside the trust.
Does a living trust reduce taxes?
It may, depending on the size of your estate and how the trust is structured. Fortis Planning coordinates with your CPA so your plan fits your tax situation.
How often should a trust be reviewed?
We recommend a review every year, and any time you buy property, open new accounts, receive an inheritance, marry, divorce, or start a business.
Getting Started
YOUR NEXT STEP
You don’t need to have everything figured out before we talk. Share what you want to protect, the questions you have about your planning options, or the decisions you’re trying to make. We’ll listen and help you identify a clear next step.
Estate planning education and coordination to help families protect what matters most.
By Appointment Only
CONTACT
Hours:
8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST
Monday through Saturday
By appointment only
After-hours by request
Oregon Address
7307 SW Beveland St Ste 200 Tigard, OR 97223
Fortis Planning, LLC provides estate planning education and coordination. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal, tax, accounting, or investment advice. Legal documents are prepared and reviewed by licensed attorneys in the applicable state. Consult qualified professionals about your individual circumstances.
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