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Introduction | |
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An Overview of Living Trusts | |
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Living Trusts Explained | |
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Probate and Why You Want to Avoid It | |
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Avoiding Probate | |
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Reducing Estate Taxes | |
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Other Advantages of a Living Trust | |
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Possible Drawbacks of a Living Trust | |
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Human Emotions and Living Trusts | |
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Leaving Unequal Amounts of Property to Children | |
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Second or Subsequent Marriages | |
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Disinheriting a Child | |
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Special Concerns of Unmarried Couples | |
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Communicating Your Decisions to Family and Friends | |
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Common Questions About Living Trusts | |
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Does Everyone Need a Living Trust? | |
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If I Prepare a Living Trust, Do I Need a Will? | |
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How Can I Leave Trust Property to Children and Young Adults? | |
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Will My Living Trust Reduce Estate Taxes? | |
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Will I Have to Pay Gift Taxes? | |
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Will a Living Trust Shield My Property From Creditors? | |
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Do I Need a "Catastrophic Illness Clause" in My Trust? | |
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How Does Where I Live Affect My Living Trust? | |
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Can I Place Real Estate in a Living Trust? | |
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Can I Sell or Give Away Trust Property While I'm Alive? | |
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Is My Bank Account in the Trust's Name Insured by the FDIC? | |
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Will Property in My Living Trust Get a "Stepped-Up" Tax Basis When I Die? | |
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Who Must Know About My Living Trust? | |
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Could Someone Challenge My Living Trust? | |
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Will Congress or My State Legislature Abolish or Restrict Living Trusts? | |
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What Type of Trust do You Need? | |
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If You Are Single | |
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If You Are Part of a Couple | |
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Individual Trusts for Members of a Couple | |
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A Basic Shared Living Trust | |
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The Tax-Saving AB Trust | |
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Nolo's AB Trust | |
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Nolo's Tax-saving AB Trust | |
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The Size of Your Estate | |
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Should You Do It Yourself? | |
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How Nolo's AB Trust Works | |
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Alternatives to Nolo's AB Trust | |
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Choosing What Property to Put in Your Living Trust | |
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Listing the Property to Be Put in Your Trust | |
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Property That Should Not Be Put in Your Living Trust | |
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Property You Can Put in Your Living Trust | |
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Marital Property Laws | |
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Completing the Property Worksheet | |
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Trustees | |
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The Initial Trustee | |
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The Trustee After One Spouse's Death or Incapacity | |
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The Successor Trustee | |
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Choosing Your Beneficiaries | |
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Kinds of Trust Beneficiaries | |
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Naming Your Primary Beneficiaries | |
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Simultaneous Death Clauses | |
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Cobeneficiaries | |
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Some Common Concerns About Beneficiaries | |
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Naming Alternate Beneficiaries | |
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Residuary Beneficiaries | |
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Disinheritance | |
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Putting Conditions on Beneficiaries | |
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Property You Leave in Your Trust That You No Longer Own at Your Death | |
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Beneficiary Worksheets | |
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Property Left to Minor Children or Young Adults | |
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Property Management Options | |
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Which Method Is Better for You: Children's Trust or Custodianship? | |
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Tax-Saving Educational Investment Plans | |
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Children's Trusts | |
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Custodianships | |
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Preparing Your Living Trust Document | |
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Choosing the Right Trust Form | |
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Getting Started | |
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Making Changes in a Trust Form | |
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Step-by-Step Instructions | |
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Prepare Your Final Trust Document | |
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Consider Having Your Work Checked by a Lawyer | |
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Sign Your Living Trust in Front of a Notary | |
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Transferring Property to Your Trust | |
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Paperwork | |
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Technical Ownership | |
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An Abstract of Trust | |
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Property That Names the Living Trust as a Beneficiary | |
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Real Estate | |
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Bank Accounts and Safe Deposit Boxes | |
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Securities | |
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Vehicles, Boats, and Planes | |
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Business Interests | |
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Limited Partnerships | |
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Copyrights | |
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Patents | |
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Royalties | |
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Copying, Storing, and Registering Your Trust Document | |
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Making Copies | |
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Storing the Trust Document | |
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Registering the Trust | |
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Living with Your Living Trust | |
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If You Move to Another State | |
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Adding Property to Your Living Trust | |
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Selling or Giving Away Trust Property | |
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When to Amend Your Living Trust Document | |
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Amending a Living Trust Document | |
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How to Amend Your Trust Document | |
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Revoking Your Living Trust | |
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After a Grantor Dies | |
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Who Serves as Trustee After the Grantor's Death | |
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The Trustee's Duties | |
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Transferring Property to Beneficiaries | |
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Preparing and Filing Tax Returns | |
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Administering a Child's Trust | |
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Administering a Custodianship | |
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A Living Trust as Part of Your Estate Plan | |
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Using a Back-up Will | |
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Other Probate-Avoidance Methods | |
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Federal Gift and Estate Taxes | |
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State Death Taxes | |
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Planning for Incapacity | |
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Long-Term Trusts to Control Property | |
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Wills | |
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Why Prepare a Back-up Will? | |
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What You Can Do in a Back-up Will | |
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Pour-Over Wills | |
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Avoiding Conflicts Between Your Will and Living Trust | |
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Filling in the Will Form | |
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Signing and Witnessing Your Will | |
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If You Need Expert Help | |
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Hiring a Lawyer to Review Your Living Trust | |
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Working With an Expert | |
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Lawyer Fees | |
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Doing Your Own Legal Research | |
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Glossary | |
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How to Use the Forms CD-ROM | |
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Installing the Form Files Onto Your Computer | |
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Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents | |
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Forms | |
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Basic Living Trust for One Person | |
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Basic Shared Living Trust | |
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AB Living Trust | |
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Witness Statement for a Florida Living Trust | |
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Assignment of Property to a Trust for One Person | |
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Assignment of Shared Property to a Trust for a Couple | |
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Amendment to Living Trust for One Person | |
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Amendment to Basic Shared Living Trust or AB Trust | |
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Revocation of Living Trust | |
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Basic Will for One Person | |
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Basic Will for a Member of a Couple | |
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Affidavit of Successor Trustee | |
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Index | |