Comprehensive Trust

Better Off's Comprehensive Trust is best for people looking to make distribution of assets after their death fast, cost-effective, and easy for the people they leave behind. With it, you can also ensure that childcare, financial decision making, and medical decision making are all covered in case of your medical incapacity or death.

Your document packet will include a revocable living trust, asset schedule, pour-over will, financial power of attorney, childcare power of attorney (if applicable), healthcare directive, and detailed signing and filing instructions.

Wills and trusts are two different methods for distributing assets after you die.

A will goes into effect after you die, directing how your assets are distributed and naming guardians for your children. It requires going through probate court, which can be public and time-consuming.

A trust goes into effect immediately after creation, holds your assets during your lifetime, and distributes them after you die. It offers more privacy, avoids probate, and provides more flexible control over how and when your assets are distributed—saving your family time and money. Using a will without a trust is also effective, but requires going through probate court, which can be costly and time-consuming, and its proceeds are in the public record.

A revocable trust and a living trust are actually the same thing—just different names. Both refer to a trust that is created during your lifetime and can be changed anytime. It's called "living" because it's created while you're alive and "revocable" because you can modify it. Irrevocable trusts cannot be modified, are more complex in nature, and fit more specialized needs.

This is where a pour-over will comes in. It works alongside your trust to "pour over" any assets that weren't transferred to your trust during your lifetime, directing them into your trust and ensuring all your property follows your trust's instructions.

A trust avoids probate because your assets are technically owned by the trust, not you personally. This means the assets can be distributed directly to your beneficiaries without going through probate court. Probate is a legal process that can be slow, public, and expensive, so bypassing it saves time, money, and keeps your estate details private.

Essentially, a trust creates a separate legal pathway for asset transfer that sidesteps the traditional court-supervised probate process.

Unlike a will that becomes public record through probate, a trust remains private. This means the details of your assets, their value, and how they are distributed to your beneficiaries stay confidential. Only the people you choose—your trustee and beneficiaries—know the specifics of your trust.

trust is beneficial for most families who want to avoid probate, maintain privacy, and ensure a smooth transfer of assets to loved ones. While it's especially helpful for those with property in multiple states or complex family situations, its advantages of privacy, control, and probate avoidance make it valuable for individuals and families planning an estate of any size.

Trust maintenance is generally straightforward. Once your trust is set up and you've retitled your property and financial accounts in your trust's name, you simply update it when you acquire new assets or experience major life changes. Since it's revocable, you always maintain control and can easily change beneficiaries or modify terms as your needs change. Better Off makes it easy to update beneficiary information, add or remove assets, and generate new documents at anytime.

Visit our support page to find other frequently asked questions about Better Off. If you are still experiencing an issue, please reach out to support@getbetteroff.com for assistance.

Better Off also partners with licensed estate attorneys to provide additional attorney support. Attorney support can be purchased in addition to any Better Off Plan. Learn more about attorney support