Critical Warning: Signing a Trust Agreement Does NOT Transfer Your Assets
The number-one reason living trusts fail to avoid probate is lack of funding. A trust only controls property that is legally titled in the name of the trustee or designates the trust as beneficiary. Real estate deeds must be recorded; bank accounts must be retitled.
Real Estate Funding Cost Estimator
County Deed Recording & Transfer Tax Estimator
Interactive estimates for trust-funding deed transfers in high-volume real-estate states.
Use 0 for a standard transfer into your own revocable living trust (no money changing hands).
Most trust-funding deeds are 2–3 pages (legal description + notary block).
Multi-Property Portfolio Batch Estimator
Own several properties? Add your whole real-estate portfolio — across multiple states — and we'll sum the recording fees and statutory transfer taxes for the entire batch at once, flagging which transfers are likely exempt.
Multi-Property Portfolio Funding Estimator
Sum recording fees & transfer taxes across your entire real-estate portfolio at once — including multi-state holdings.
Use 0 for a transfer into your own revocable living trust (no money changing hands).
Use 0 for a transfer into your own revocable living trust (no money changing hands).
Use 0 for a transfer into your own revocable living trust (no money changing hands).
Asset Inventory & Funding Master Checklist
Track real estate, accounts, and business interests with institutional retitling action plans.
Primary Family Residence
- Obtain copy of current vesting deed to verify exact legal property description.
- Draft a Quitclaim Deed or Grant Deed transferring from Settlors to the Trustee.
- Complete state Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR).
- Record deed with County Recorder and notify homeowner insurance carrier of trust additional insured.
Primary Checking & High Yield Savings
- Present Certification of Trust and Photo ID to branch officer.
- Retitle account as 'Eleanor Vance Sterling & Arthur James Sterling, Trustees of The Sterling Family Trust'.
- Sign new signature cards; existing checks can generally still be used.
Traditional IRA & Roth 401(k)
- CRITICAL: Do NOT retitle retirement accounts into trust name (triggers immediate complete income tax distribution penalty!).
- Designate spouse as Primary Beneficiary for spousal rollover.
- Consult CPA/attorney before designating trust as secondary beneficiary under SECURE Act 10-year rule.
Sterling Consulting LLC (100% Membership)
- Review LLC Operating Agreement to verify transfer permitted to revocable living trust.
- Execute formal Assignment of Membership Interest.
- Update internal LLC ledger and company records.