Combining two separate revocable trusts into one name
Hello: My wife and I have different last names; we need to combine two separate trusts into one name, so that the bank will change the beneficiary to a combined trust (they will not put it in two named trusts). How do we do this? Thank you. Jack
Terry Says
You will need an estate planning attorney to make the changes. But this can be tricky. There must be some reason you have two separate trusts -- perhaps you are in a second marriage and have previously-planned estate plans. If you want to keep those original plans, which likely name beneficiaries from previous marriages, there is no reason you couldn't create a third plan -- jointly, even with two different names -- and title some accounts or assets in the name of the third revocable living trust! Also remember that you might not want to name a trust as a beneficiary of a retirement account. That limits the ability of the ultimate heirs to keep the money growing tax deferred for their own retirement! Obviously, I'm flying blind here without knowing all the details. But since you need an attorney to create a Revocable Living Trust, start with someone experienced in this field. To find one in your area go to www.search-attorneys.com.
