A revocable living trust is a legal arrangement you create during your lifetime to hold and manage your assets. You (the “Grantor”) can serve as your own Trustee and retain full control. You can amend or revoke it at any time. Upon your death, the successor trustee distributes assets to your beneficiaries without going through probate.

Key reasons include:

• Avoiding probate (which in Ohio can be time-consuming and public)

• Maintaining privacy for family and asset details

• Planning for incapacity, allowing a successor trustee to manage assets if you can’t

• Simplifying out-of-state real-estate transfers

• Providing controlled distributions for children or beneficiaries

Not automatically. A revocable trust uses your Social Security number and is a “disregarded entity” for tax purposes while you’re alive. It doesn’t reduce estate or income taxes on its own, though it can make tax administration easier and can include tax-planning provisions.

Yes. You’ll need a “pour-over will” to transfer any assets not already titled in your trust into it at your death and to appoint guardians for minor children.

• A will only takes effect at death and requires probate.

• A trust takes effect immediately, lets you manage assets while alive, and avoids probate for assets properly titled in it.

• The trust remains private; a will becomes public record.

No. Because you can revoke or change it, it offers no asset-protection for you during life. However, after your death, properly drafted spendthrift provisions can protect beneficiaries from their creditors.

Item descriptionYou must retitle your assets into the name of the trust (e.g., “John and Jane Doe, Trustees of the Doe Family Revocable Living Trust dated January 1, 2025”).
Common assets to transfer include:

• Real estate (via a new deed)

• Bank or investment accounts

• Non-retirement brokerage accounts

• Business interests (LLC shares, closely held stock)

• Personal property lists or assignments

Your retirement accounts and life insurance typically remain in your name but can name the trust or individuals as beneficiaries, depending on your plan.

While you’re alive, you can be your own trustee. You also name a successor trustee (individual or corporate) to manage and distribute assets if you die or become incapacitated. Choose someone trustworthy, organized, and able to follow your instructions.

Your successor trustee can immediately step in to manage trust assets according to your instructions, without needing a court-appointed guardian or conservator.

Yes. This is one of its biggest advantages—it helps avoid ancillary probate in other states. Deeding out-of-state property into the trust keeps the transfer private and unified.

No. You don’t have to register or file the trust document with the court. It’s a private contract. Recording is only needed for deeds transferring real property into the trust.

Yes. You can design sub-trusts:

• For your spouse, to manage assets tax-efficiently or provide lifetime support

• For your children, with staged distributions or special-needs protections

A spendthrift clause prevents a beneficiary’s creditors or ex-spouses from seizing their trust share before it’s distributed. It’s standard in most Ohio trusts.

No—revocable trusts do not. Because you can access the assets, Medicaid counts them as available. Only an irrevocable trust, created under specific rules, can shield assets for Medicaid purposes. Note that Ballinger Legal, LLC cannot assist with irrevocable trusts.

Your estate (or trust) must still pay valid debts and taxes first. The trust simply avoids probate delays, not obligations.

It can continue for as long as you specify—often until all beneficiaries receive their shares or reach certain ages. Ohio’s version of the Rule Against Perpetuities limits how long property can remain in trust (usually up to 90 years).

Yes, though it’s harder than contesting a will if the trust is properly drafted and executed. Many Ohio trusts include a “no-contest” clause to discourage challenges.