[This must be purchased together with another Trust Package.]

Spousal Protection Trust Service

When planning for your family’s future, protecting your spouse and your hard-earned assets is crucial. A Spousal Protection Trust (SPT) is an estate planning strategy that allows one spouse to leave their share of assets to the surviving spouse in a trust. This ensures ongoing financial support while providing vital protections against risks such as creditors, nursing home costs, or remarriage complications.

What is a Spousal Protection Trust?

A Spousal Protection Trust is a type of trust created as part of your estate plan. When the first spouse passes, their share of the couple’s assets is placed into this trust for the benefit of the surviving spouse. While the surviving spouse can access and use the assets as needed, the trust structure shields the assets from external threats and ensures they are eventually passed to your chosen beneficiaries.

Why This is a Good Idea

• Asset Protection: Trust assets are shielded from creditors or lawsuits against the surviving spouse, safeguarding your family’s financial security.

• Nursing Home Protection: Assets in the trust are protected from being used to pay for long-term care costs, helping the surviving spouse preserve resources.

• Remarriage Safeguards: The trust ensures that your assets remain in your family, even if the surviving spouse remarries.

• Control Over Distribution: You determine how and when assets are distributed, protecting your surviving spouse from mismanagement or undue influence.

• Preservation of Wealth: Ensures assets are ultimately passed to your chosen heirs, such as children or grandchildren, without interference.

How It’s Set Up

1. Drafting the Trust:

   • We design the trust as part of your estate plan, specifying the terms under which your assets are held and distributed to your surviving spouse.

2. Funding the Trust:

   • At your passing, your share of the assets (or the portion you designate) is transferred into the trust.

3. Appointing a Trustee:

   • You select a trustee to manage the trust for the surviving spouse. This can be a trusted individual, professional, or even the surviving spouse, depending on your goals.

4. Customizing Access:

   • You outline how the surviving spouse can use the trust assets—for example, for living expenses, healthcare, or other needs—while maintaining protection.

5. Integration with Estate Plan:

   • The trust is coordinated with your other estate planning documents to ensure a seamless transition and maximum protection.

Who Benefits Most from a Spousal Protection Trust?

• Couples Concerned About Long-Term Care Costs: Protects assets from being depleted by nursing home expenses.

• Blended Families: Ensures assets are preserved for children or other beneficiaries while still supporting the surviving spouse.

• Couples Seeking Asset Protection: Shields assets from creditors or lawsuits against the surviving spouse.

• Families with Wealth to Preserve: Protects family wealth and ensures it is passed down to future generations.

A Spousal Protection Trust provides peace of mind, knowing your surviving spouse will be cared for while your legacy remains protected and preserved. Let us help you create a plan that offers security, flexibility, and control for your family’s future.