Practice Areas

Trust Formation

A key part of estate planning, particularly for estates with considerable assets, is trust formation. Trusts also can be valuable tools for even those without immense wealth, though, particularly if there are children to be considered.

At Morton & Gettys in Rock Hill, our lawyers have experience in creating a wide variety of trusts tailored to suit our clients’ needs.

In very simple terms, a trust is an arrangement where one party holds assets on behalf of another. In terms of an estate, the estate planner authorizes a trustee – and they can be the same person – to manage assets on behalf of his or her beneficiaries. The benefits can be substantial in terms of reducing the estate tax burden, protecting assets, and ensuring that specific wishes are carried out.

Trusts also are invaluable tools for taking care of special needs adult children or for making sure that minor children are protected should they lose their parents.

At Morton & Gettys, we have helped create a range of trusts, including:

• Living trusts
• Lifetime Qualified Terminable Interest Property Trust, or QTIP Trusts
• Testamentary trusts
• Life insurance trusts
• Charitable trusts

Our services extend beyond trust formation. Our experienced trust lawyers also help make sure all assets are properly transferred and titled to the trust. We can take care of administration services for the trust, including tax identification numbers and properly filing all annual returns so that you maintain any tax advantages achieved by creating the trust.