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Why a Trust is Better than a Prenuptial Agreement in Arizona?

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Why a Trust is Better than a Prenuptial Agreement in Arizona?

Living Trust vs. Prenuptial Agreements - What Do You Need to Know.

If you are considering a Prenuptial Agreement before you get married, consider a Living Trust instead. Read our blog to understand why.

Arizona is a community property state. Understanding what your future spouse will be entitled to is important before your get married, specially if you have a substantial assets to protect.

This blog talks about Prenuptial agreements as well as Living Trusts. You need to understand what both instruments are and how you can use them for your benefit before you get married. Giving you new spouse fair and reasonable disclosure prior marriage is important to create trust and it helps to comply with Arizona law in case of a divorce.

What are Prenuptial agreements?

A prenuptial agreement, sometimes just called a prenup, is a legal contract that two people sign before they get married. The prenuptial agreement clearly lays out how money, property, investments, businesses, retirement accounts, and other assets would get divided if the couple gets divorced in the future.

Prenuptial agreements typically address topics like alimony or spousal support after a divorce, division of real estate or personal property, inheritance rights if one spouse dies, and many other financial matters. The contract spells out in legal terms who gets what share of the assets accumulated both prior to the marriage and during the course of the marriage. Prenups also often specify how certain debts would get allocated during a divorce settlement.

The main purpose of creating a prenuptial agreement is to avoid long debates or court battles over asset distribution if the husband and wife split up down the road. Couples enter into prenups for a variety of reasons. Younger couples with assets to protect plan for "just in case" since the average lifespan of marriages is decreasing. Older couples remarrying after divorce or death of a spouse use prenups to ensure financial security for any children from previous relationships.

Overall, prenups provide a way for couples to think through the unthinkable yet be prepared if an unfortunate divorce ever does occur.

Prenuptial agreements often specify that the contract terms are valid for a set period, frequently 10 years. After that initial decade of marriage, courts may review and revise aspects of the prenup upon request if the couple's situations have changed significantly. Updates may be warranted based on factors like length of marriage, incomes and assets, or family circumstances. The 10-year mark provides a reasonable timeframe for reassessing the fairness and applicability of the original prenuptial agreement. Some previous separate property may now be considered marital property for example.

What is a Living Trust in Arizona?

A living trust, also sometimes called a revocable living trust in Arizona, is a customizable legal document governed under Arizona state laws that allows you to place ownership of valuable assets into the trust during your lifetime. Typical assets transferred into a living trust include real estate like houses or land, financial accounts such as bank and brokerage accounts, stocks and bonds, life insurance policies, businesses or partnerships, vehicles, art and collections, personal property, and other investments.

You designate a trusted person, professional fiduciary company, or financial institution to serve as your trustee which involves judiciously managing the assets in the trust on behalf of the trust beneficiaries. As the trust creator, you can name yourself trustee initially.

The terms of the living trust specify exactly how and when trust assets eventually get distributed to beneficiaries of your choosing. Those beneficiaries might be a surviving spouse, adult children from previous marriage, other relatives, a charity, or some combination selected by you.

Living trusts are powerful estate planning tools in Arizona because trust assets avoid the prolonged process of probate following the trust creator's permanent incapacity or death. As legal arrangements goes are one of the best way to protect significant assets and pre marital assets.

Prenup or a Trust? - Protect your Assets from Divorce

There are a few reasons why a living trust can work better than a prenup for some couples in Arizona.

Customize Your Living Trust Terms

When you set up a living trust, you have more flexibility over the terms. You can be very specific about how you want your assets handled for many different situations. This includes during your lifetime if you become very sick or incapacitated. It also handles distribution of assets after you pass away. With a thoughtfully crafted living trust, you can ensure your assets go to your spouse or surviving spouse, children, or other beneficiaries exactly how you intend.

A prenup tends to focus specifically on divorce. The terms usually cover topics like alimony payments and division of property. But you can’t anticipate every future possibility or family dynamic with a prenup. Your living trust allows you to map things out in more detail beyond just divorce.

Avoid Court During Inheritance Conflicts

If there ever comes a time when your loved ones disagree over inheritance, assets in your living trust may be able to avoid court battles. Because you’ve clearly laid out distribution instructions upfront in your estate planning, there is less room for relatives to argue. However, assets that pass directly to heirs without a trust often do end up contested in court.

Living trusts can also help you minimize estate taxes after you pass so more assets reach your beneficiaries. You can still control property when you are alive as well.

Keep Assets Private

When you create a living trust, the details remain private. That includes how much you’ve chosen to leave to your spouse versus children from a previous marriage for example. A prenup must be shared with the court to be valid. That means the financial information becomes public record. You will need to provide full financial disclosure to the court.

Some couples want to keep their assets and allocation decisions private from others. That's easier to accomplish with a thoughtfully designed living trust instead of a premarital agreement.

Plan for Remarriage

Did you know the average length of a first marriage in the U.S. is about 8 years for women and 9 years for men? With divorces and remarriages so common, a living trust allows you more flexibility to update your plans. You can change the trustee or beneficiaries over time if you remarry, have more children, or situations shift.

Prenuptial agreements are not that flexible. Updating a prenup requires going through additional legal procedures each time. That often involves renegotiation between spouses which may introduce new tensions.

Make Amendments Easily

Speaking of flexibility, modifying your living trust is much simpler than altering an ironclad prenup. You may realize 5 or 10 years into your marriage that you want to adjust to changes life brings. This can be done fairly seamlessly by working with your estate planning attorney. You can for example turn separate property into marital property by adding or removing the property from your trust.

However, most courts won't modify or overturn major terms in a prenup after marriage. It's very challenging to make even small tweaks down the road. You can change the terms if you have financial obligations from prior marriage for example.

Avoid Contentious Negotiations

Working out a prenup before your wedding usually involves back-and-forth bargaining between you and your future spouse. Even with attorneys present, prenup talks can quickly become emotionally-charged and stressful. Disagreements early on can leave both spouses feeling resentful. That is probably not the best way to start a marriage anyway,

A living trust puts you fully in control since you create it before marriage and separate property was added to the trust before you got married. You decide upfront what's fair without heated debates. When thoughtfully designed, a living trust leaves less room for trust beneficiaries to later question your intentions. That frequently occurs when people feel slighted by prenups.

Gain Certainty

The bottom line is living trusts bring more certainty over inheritance distribution and management of your assets if you become incapacitated. The courts uphold properly executed living trusts in most all situations. Prenups tend to face greater scrutiny during divorce proceedings in court. Judges have been known to set aside prenuptial agreements entirely depending on the circumstances. A post nuptial agreement is even worst as it is very easy to say a spouse signed that under duress.

Hopefully divorce will never occur. But nobody really knows what the future may bring once they say "I do." All relationships take work. However, starting out your marriage with resentment over prenup negotiations can quickly erode the foundation of trust. A living trust puts key financial decisions in place ahead of time with less room for doubt.

Living Trust vs. Prenuptial Agreements - What Do You Need to Know

 

Frequently asked questions about Prenuptial agreements and Trusts

Does a prenuptial agreement supersede a trust?

The short answer is no. A prenuptial agreement generally does not supersede a living trust. There are a few reasons for this:

  1. A properly established living trust legally transfers asset ownership into the trust during your lifetime. This means those assets are technically no longer marital property at the time marriage occurs. Marital property is typically what gets divided in a divorce per the prenup contract.
  2. Living trusts contain clear distribution instructions to beneficiaries of your choosing once the trust creator dies or becomes incapacitated. The trustee manages assets for beneficiaries per the trust guidelines. Terms supersede a prenup and also a post nuptial agreement.
  3. However, a prenup could include language about how certain trust assets obtained during the marriage may get divided in case of divorce. For example, contributions to retirement accounts or a house purchased by one spouse but placed into a trust may have certain prenup stipulations.
  4. Prenups focus on asset division and spousal support obligations (and other financial obligations) if a married couple divorces. Living trusts deal primarily with asset management, disability planning, and distribution before/after death based on the trust creator's wishes. Their scopes have some overlap but also differ.

In summary, living trusts generally control asset distribution and inheritance choices independently of what a prenup might dictate strictly in the event of divorce. Consult an estate planning attorney to ensure your trust and prenup align with your overall legacy goals.

What are the disadvantages of a living trust agreement in Arizona?

Here are some potential disadvantages of using a living trust in Arizona:

  1. Upfront Costs - Creating a customized living trust usually requires hiring an estate planning attorney. There are legal fees involved with properly setting up the trust terms and transferring asset ownership. It is usually cheaper than a complicated premarital agreement.
  2. Maintenance - Some ongoing administration is required to manage the trust, file taxes, distribute assets per the instructions, and keep beneficiaries updated. This takes time and coordination.
  3. Public Records - Transferring real estate into a living trust requires recording documents with the county. This leaves traces in the public records. Some prefer to avoid easily tracked ownership changes.
  4. Contested Trusts - Disgruntled beneficiaries who feel slighted by the distribution plan may try contesting the trust, tying up assets in lengthy court battles. A solid trust can help avoid most contests.

For most Arizona residents, the benefits of thoughtful legacy planning and avoiding probate outweigh potential disadvantages. But understanding possible drawbacks allows you to craft your living trust wisely. An estate planning lawyer can explain how to maximize advantages in your situation while minimizing hassles and legal vulnerabilities.

How can I protect my inheritance without a prenuptial agreement?

Here are some options to help protect inheritances without using a prenuptial agreement:

  1. Create a living trust and transfer inherited assets into it, naming beneficiaries of your choice for separate property. This legally moves assets out of marital property status unconnected to marriage or divorce proceedings.
  2. Set up inherited IRAs with restricted beneficiary designations so the assets go directly to children or other relations upon death without passing through a spouse first.
  3. Gift part of an inheritance prior to marriage as an early bequest to heirs, removing those assets from future estate disputes. However, taxes may apply with substantial gifted sums.
  4. Purchase life insurance policies equal to the value of the inheritance, naming the preferred recipients as beneficiaries regardless of marriage status later on.
  5. Place inherited real estate or family businesses into limited liability company (LLC) structures with defined operating agreements about retaining ownership interests within a bloodline. They will stay as separate property.
  6. Establish clear instructions for inheritance distribution through legally binding wills and trusts customized for family dynamics and state laws. Appoint a neutral third party trustee like a professional trustee.
  7. Rent out inherited property rather than sharing direct ownership or rights to the asset itself. State rental income as separate property.

Working closely with a trustworthy estate planning attorney gives you the best chance to design protective structures for inherited wealth without a premarital agreement.

What are the advantages of putting your estate in a trust?

Here are some of the top advantages of placing your assets into a living trust:

1. Avoids Probate - Assets in a trust don't get tied up in lengthy court-supervised probate following your permanent disability or death. Your trustee can distribute assets directly to beneficiaries.

2. Privacy - Trusts details and asset information remain private unlike wills entered into public records during probate. Only the trust participants access details.

3. Control - Customized trust terms empower you to manage exactly how and when beneficiaries inherit your estate per your instructions versus partial court control.

4. Reduces Taxes - Carefully structured trusts help minimize estate taxes so more assets actually reach your chosen heirs rather than getting lost to the IRS. Although that is not relevant for Arizona at the moment the laws can always change.

5. Prevents Contests - A thoughtfully crafted trust makes it more difficult for disgruntled family members to successfully contest and drag assets into disputes.

6. Disability Planning - Trusts provide clear instructions for asset management if you become physically or mentally incapacitated either temporarily or permanently.

Placing parts of your estate into a living trust keeps decision-making over inheritance, taxes, and distribution within the family rather than externally controlled. An experienced estate planning attorney can help customize the optimal trust solution for your situation.

Work with an Experienced Trust Attorney in Chandler, AZ

As you consider the best options to protect your assets and express your wishes, work with an attorney well-versed in Arizona law. They can assess your situation and goals. An estate planning lawyer can then advise if a living trust or prenup makes the most sense. They can also customize the terms to work well for your unique needs while following state statutes.

Every couple has a distinct vision of what brings happiness and security before and during marriage. There’s no one “right way” to set up legal protections for inheritances or asset division upon divorce. But fully understanding all your options helps ensure wise planning. Evaluating living trusts versus prenups is one key piece of that process.

An experienced estate planning in Chandler can clarify the pros and cons of each. They will describe how to properly establish terms and legal validity to avoid future disputes over inheritance or divorce. Often, a customized living trust makes the best sense for Arizona residents hoping to provide for their surviving spouse and other family members.

Call Citadel Law Firm PLLC today at (480) 565-8020 to understand what is right or you. Our trust and Wills attorneys will be pleased to help. Or click here if you prefer to schedule a free estate planning consultation today.