In Bellingham, Washington, a trust is a specific method of managing property for the benefit of another person. A trustee is able to possess and, to some extent, control the property. Nonetheless, the property is owned by the beneficiary, the person for whose benefit the property is being used.
Trusts serve a variety of purposes. For instance, they can be set up to ensure that the beneficiary (say, a child) will perpetually have enough money to live off of, but will be unable to spend it all on frivolities.
A trust can make as many or as few allowances as the person creating it wants. For instance, a trust could be set up which permits the beneficiary to spend the money on educational expenses, and nothing else.
Because you, as the trustee, can decide the rules under which the trust operates, you could give the beneficiary the right to access the fund at any time, for any reason, essentially letting them do whatever they want with the money, if that's what you want to do.
What to Include in Any Bellingham, WA Trust
There are 4 distinct elements that must be present for any trust to be legitimate in Bellingham, Washington. The first element is the purpose - in drafting a trust document, the purpose that the trust is serving must be expressed.
The second required element is a trustee. The trustee's job is to supervise and manage the money that makes up the trust. They are also required to take reasonable efforts to guarantee that the money is only utilized for the purpose of the original trust agreement.
Third, the trust needs to have a named beneficiary. The beneficiary is the individual who benefits from the trust.
Fourth and finally, there must be some money or property which is directly going to be held in the trust. This property is referred to as the "corpus" (body) of the trust, and can be just about anything. But, it must truly exist, and it must be identified.
Can A Bellingham, Washington Trust Drafting Attorney Help?
While the elements of a valid trust are fairly simple and easy to remember, drafting a trust that is sure to be carried out according to the wishes of the person making it can still be intricate. For that reason, a good Bellingham, Washington attorney experienced in estate planning and the drafting trusts may prove invaluable.