“The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread”… What Took So Long?

Did you know that, since the days of ancient Greece, men and women used written documents called last wills to transfer their assets to others at death? The Romans also used last wills, as did the early English. Seems like a good idea, doesn’t it… deciding for ourselves where our things will go? There was only one problem… even with a last will, the government (courts) controlled the process of transferring wealth, a process we now call “probate.” That’s right, for hundreds and hundreds of years, a person’s assets could only pass to his or her beneficiaries through probate, an expensive and time-consuming legal process. (If you’ve personally experienced probate, you know what I’m talking about. It’s a total bummer.) In fairly recent history, however, someone had a “light bulb” moment; they realized a trust could be used to avoid the nightmare we call probate. You see, a “living” trust is a legal document that actually owns a person’s assets (or receives them at death) and, importantly, “lives on” after someone dies. So… if a person’s assets are held in trust when they pass away, their trust still “lives on” and their estate can be transferred to beneficiaries immediately without probate. Voila! No probate! It’s a beautiful thing… indeed, the “best thing since sliced bread.” 😊 If I can help you, your family, or a friend avoid probate and quickly, privately transfer your wealth to beneficiaries, please contact me at (813) 244-7758 or Ross@RossSpanoLaw.com to schedule a free consultation. Cheers! Ross Spano