Free Resource · Estate Planning
Your Closing Is Done. Now Protect It.
Illinois revocable living trust — what to fund, how, and what happens if you don't.
Creating a revocable living trust does not automatically fund it. Until the trust is funded — assets retitled, designations changed, deeds recorded — the trust is an empty shell and the estate plan does not work as intended. This checklist covers the funding work.
What's in the PDF
- What “trust funding” means. The work that makes a trust effective. Why creating the trust is only half the job.
- Real estate (Illinois primary residence). Warranty deed drafting, recording, transfer-tax stamp exemption. Why warranty (not quitclaim) is the right deed for trust funding.
- Real estate (out-of-state). Why funding out-of-state real estate is the primary reason most clients establish a trust. Multi-state coordination.
- Brokerage accounts. Custodian-specific re-titling, certificate of trust, beneficiary designations.
- Bank accounts. When to fund into trust vs. when to use POD designations. Operating account considerations.
- Retirement accounts. Why NOT to retitle the account itself. Beneficiary designation strategy. Qualified see-through trust analysis.
- Life insurance, business interests, tangible personal property. Beneficiary updates, LLC/Corp/Partnership re-titling, tangible personal property assignment.
- Vehicles. Re-titling implications for insurance.
- What happens if you don't fund. The probate consequence. The incapacity consequence. Why an unfunded trust does not achieve its purpose.
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Frequently asked questions
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Can I share this with my real estate broker?
Yes. Brokers regularly send this to clients pre-contract. If you're a broker who'd like to send this to your roster, contact Adam directly and we can co-brand a version for your brokerage.
Does Adam represent buyers, sellers, or both?
Adam represents one side of any given transaction — buyer or seller, never both. He's licensed in Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Texas, Minnesota, the District of Columbia, plus federal courts.
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