Trust Amendment – Glossary | RJP Estate Planning

Trust Terms

A legal change to specific parts of your trust without replacing the entire document.

A trust amendment is a separate legal document that changes specific parts of your existing revocable living trust. The original trust stays in effect. The amendment simply updates the parts that need changing.

When to Use an Amendment

Amendments work best for minor, targeted changes:

Changing a successor trustee
Adding or removing a beneficiary
Adjusting distribution percentages
Updating personal information after a move or name change

Amendment vs. Restatement

If you need several changes, or if your trust has been amended many times, a trust restatement may be better. A restatement replaces the entire trust document with a new version. It keeps the original trust's identity and funding intact. This avoids the confusion of reading an original trust plus multiple stacked amendments.

Keeping Your Trust Current

Life changes. Your trust should keep up. A marriage, divorce, birth, death, or major change in assets may call for an update. At RJP, we recommend reviewing your trust every three to five years. Both amendments and restatements are included as part of ongoing client support. That is the peace of mind you are after.