Why an Arizona Living Trust Protects Your Family and Saves Thousands

In short

A funded revocable living trust lets assets titled in the trust pass to your beneficiaries under its terms without an Arizona probate proceeding, which is where much of the time, cost and public record of settling an estate comes from. The savings depend on what the trust actually holds and what probate would have cost for your estate; a trust that is never funded avoids nothing.

Key points

• Probate in Arizona is a court process with filing fees, attorney time and a public file; a funded trust generally keeps those assets out of it.
• The trust only controls what has been retitled into it; deeds and account registrations have to be updated.
• A trust also names who manages your affairs if you become incapacitated, without a court guardianship or conservatorship.
• What a trust costs and what it saves are separate questions; both depend on your estate.

Full written answer: What a revocable living trust is and how it works