Blog | RJP Estate Planning

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Comparison Guide5 min read

Trusts vs. Wills in Arizona: Key Differences Compared

What's the Best Choice for Your Arizona Estate Plan?

A trust keeps your plan private and avoids probate. A will passes property at death but requires court approval. Learn how they work together in Arizona.

January 15, 2025

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Planning Guide6 min

Is a $250K Estate Too Small for a Trust?

February 1, 2025

Most Arizona families exceed probate thresholds without realizing it. A $250K estate is not too small for a trust. It is too small to waste on probate costs that a trust would have prevented.

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Real Estate6 min

Can You Put a House in a Trust With a Mortgage?

January 20, 2025

You can transfer a mortgaged home into a revocable living trust in Arizona without triggering your lender's due-on-sale clause. Federal law protects the transfer. Here is the step-by-step process.

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Retirement9 min

Should Your Trust Be the Beneficiary of Your IRA or 401(k)?

January 25, 2025

Naming a trust as your IRA or 401(k) beneficiary gives you control over distributions, but the SECURE Act changed the rules. Learn when a trust makes sense, when it creates problems, and what Arizona families need to know.

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Specialized Planning4 min

What Is a Pet Trust and How Does It Work in Arizona?

February 5, 2025

A pet trust in Arizona sets aside funds and detailed instructions for your animal's care if you die or become incapacitated. It is legally enforceable under ARS 14-2907. Here is how to set one up the right way.

pet trustarizonaestate planning

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Arizona Law6 min

Arizona Probate Thresholds in 2026: What They Are and Who Qualifies

January 15, 2026

Arizona's current probate thresholds are $200,000 for personal property and $300,000 for real property equity. Most families still exceed them. Here is how the thresholds work, what probate costs, and what your alternatives are.

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How-To Guide6 min

How to Fund Your Trust in Arizona: A Step-by-Step Guide

February 15, 2025

A trust only protects what is inside it. This guide walks through every step of funding your Arizona living trust: real estate, bank accounts, investments, retirement plans, and personal property.

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Guide12 min

What Happens to Your Digital Assets When You Die? Arizona's RUFADAA Law Explained

March 31, 2026

The average adult has around 80 online accounts. Most estate plans cover zero of them. Here is how Arizona law handles digital assets, what RUFADAA means for your family, and the steps to make sure nothing gets lost.

digital assets after deathaccess digital assets after deathprotecting digital assets after death

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Comparison Guide14 min

Is a Beneficiary Deed Enough? When Arizona Homeowners Actually Need a Trust

March 28, 2026

A beneficiary deed transfers your home outside probate when you die. A living trust does the same thing but also covers all your other assets, protects you during incapacity, and keeps your family out of court. Here is how to decide which tool fits your situation.

trust vs beneficiary deedbeneficiary deed vs living trustTOD deed

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Guide11 min

Should You Put Your Car in a Trust in Arizona?

April 1, 2026

Most Arizona families do not need to put their car in a trust. Arizona offers simpler options that avoid probate without the hassle. Here is a clear guide to when trust titling makes sense and when it does not.

can you put a car in a trusthow to put a car in a trustvehicle trust arizona

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Guide13 min

Settlor vs. Grantor: What Is the Difference? (And Why It Matters for Your Trust)

April 1, 2026

Settlor and grantor are two names for the same role: the person who creates a trust. Arizona law uses settlor. The IRS uses grantor. Here is why the terminology exists, what each term means, and how all the trust roles fit together.

settlor vs grantorgrantor vs settlortrust settlor vs grantor

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Comparison Guide11 min

Community Property With Right of Survivorship in Arizona: How It Works and When You Need More

April 1, 2026

Community property with right of survivorship (CPWROS) lets a surviving spouse inherit titled property immediately, with no probate and a full double step-up in tax basis. But it only covers what is on the deed. Learn how CPWROS compares to joint tenancy, beneficiary deeds, and a living trust in Arizona.

community property with right of survivorshipCPWROS arizonacommunity property vs right of survivorship

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Arizona Law10 min

Can Heirs Live in a House During Probate in Arizona?

April 1, 2026

There is no Arizona law that prevents heirs from living in a home during probate. But the personal representative controls the property, and the rules around mortgage payments, maintenance costs, and heir disagreements can get complicated fast.

living in a house during probatecan heirs live in house during probateprobate property rights arizona

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Guide12 min

What Happens After You Create a Living Trust in Arizona

April 1, 2026

Most content about living trusts stops at creation. This guide covers the full lifecycle: funding in the first 30 days, annual maintenance, life-event updates, incapacity activation, what happens when you die, and the mistakes families make along the way.

after creating a living trustliving trust next stepstrust lifecycle

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Guide13 min

Special Needs Trust Arizona: The Complete Guide for Families

April 18, 2026

The full Arizona overview of special needs trusts: first-party vs. third-party vs. pooled (d4A/d4C), SSI / AHCCCS / ALTCS coordination, the ABLE-vs-SNT decision, what an SNT can and cannot pay for, A.R.S. trustee duties, and the family planning workflow.

special needs trust arizonaspecial needs trustsnt

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Guide12 min

What Happens to Your Family Without an Estate Plan in Arizona

April 1, 2026

Without an estate plan in Arizona, courts decide who inherits your property, who raises your children, and who manages your finances if you become incapacitated. Here is what actually happens, with real Arizona law, real costs, and real timelines.

what happens without estate planno estate plan arizonawhat happens if i die without estate planning

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Comparison Guide16 min

Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trust in Arizona: How to Choose

April 19, 2026

Most Arizona families use a revocable living trust for control and probate avoidance. Irrevocable trusts trade flexibility for asset protection, ALTCS planning, and tax benefits. Here is how to pick the right one and how each can be changed over time.

revocable trustirrevocable trustrevocable vs irrevocable

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Guide17 min

ALTCS Arizona: Complete Guide to Long-Term Care

April 19, 2026

The full Arizona overview of long-term care planning through ALTCS: how it differs from Medicare, the 2026 income and asset limits, the 60-month lookback, estate recovery and the home, spousal protections (CSRA / MMMNA), Miller Trusts, Medicaid-compliant annuities, irrevocable trusts, family caregiver agreements, the application workflow, and the mistakes that cost families their eligibility.

altcsaltcs arizonaaltcs application

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Guide15 min

Successor Trustee & Trust Administration in Arizona

April 19, 2026

The full Arizona overview of stepping in as successor trustee and settling a revocable trust after death: the first 30/60/90 days, getting a new EIN, notifying qualified beneficiaries under A.R.S. § 14-10813, the trust settlement workflow, accountings, distributions, beneficiary rights, trustee liability under A.R.S. § 14-11001, and how a court removes a trustee under A.R.S. § 14-10706.

successor trusteesuccessor trustee arizonatrust administration

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Guide10 min

Spendthrift & Asset-Protection Trusts in Arizona

April 19, 2026

The full Arizona guide to using trusts to protect what you leave behind: how spendthrift clauses work under the Arizona Trust Code, the difference between a third-party spendthrift trust and a self-settled trust, dynasty trusts that span generations, discretionary and incentive trusts for beneficiaries with addiction or money-management issues, the limits Arizona courts will and will not enforce, and how to draft distribution language that actually holds up against a creditor or a divorcing spouse.

spendthrift trustasset protection trustdynasty trust

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Guide11 min

Business Succession Planning in Arizona: The Complete Guide

April 19, 2026

The full Arizona overview of business succession planning: why every owner needs an exit and continuity plan, how buy-sell agreements coordinate with estate plans, what happens to an Arizona LLC at the death of an owner under A.R.S. Title 29, the gift, sale, and trust strategies that pass a family business to the next generation without crushing taxes, family limited partnerships, and how to keep the business out of a child's divorce.

business successionbusiness succession planningbuy-sell agreement

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Guide12 min

Estate, Gift & GST Tax in Arizona: The Complete Guide

April 19, 2026

The full Arizona-friendly overview of federal transfer tax planning: the current estate and gift tax exemption (and what could change), how portability lets a surviving spouse use both exemptions, the annual gift exclusion, the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax for grandchildren, the step-up in basis at death, and why Arizona itself has no state estate or inheritance tax even though the federal rules still matter.

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