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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 | |