The Long Game You Set Up a Trust… Now What? (with Blake McKibbin, JD, ChFC®, CLU®)
Mar 27, 2026
Blake McKibben, estate-planning attorney who helps advisors and clients with trusts and probate avoidance. He digs into why many trusts fail to work, what retitling assets really means, and the pitfalls of relying on pour-over wills. Short practical digests on deeds, insurance, vehicles, business shares, and beneficiary coordination.
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What A Revocable Living Trust Actually Does
- A revocable living trust is primarily a signed document that governs asset management and distribution while you live and after incapacity.
- It avoids probate and public court inventories by retitling assets into the trust so the trustee distributes them instead of the court.
Fund The Trust Now To Actually Avoid Probate
- Do fund your trust by retitling assets into the trust when it's created; otherwise the trust won’t avoid probate.
- Coordinate titling now to pre-probate your estate so the trustee can distribute without court involvement later.
Keep Retirement Accounts Individual And Update Beneficiaries
- Do not assume retirement accounts go into the trust; keep IRAs and 401(k)s in your individual name and update beneficiary designations.
- Coordinate beneficiaries to send retirement assets to the right person or into trust for beneficiaries.