The trust was never funded
A trust only controls what has actually been retitled into it. A signed trust with the house still in your own name is an expensive folder — and the estate goes through probate anyway.
Services
Everything you built goes somewhere. A plan decides where.
A will, a living trust, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives — prepared for your state, explained in plain language, and followed through to the part almost everybody skips.
Why it matters
Without a plan, the state writes one for you.
Every state has default rules for what happens to your property, and who raises your children, when there are no documents saying otherwise. Those rules are not tailored to your family, and probate applies them slowly and in public.
- Names who receives what — and who decides if you cannot
- Appoints guardians for minor children while you still can
- Keeps a trust-based estate out of probate, and out of the public record
- Spares your family from guessing at your wishes during the worst week of their lives
What you're actually protecting
Request guidance — free consultation
What a plan contains
Two ways to build it
Most families are served by one of two structures. The right one depends on what you own, where you own it, and how much you care about avoiding probate.
| Structure | What it includes | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Will-based plan | Last will and testament, living will or health directive, HIPAA authorization, durable power of attorney, and guardianship designations for minor children. | Simpler and less expensive. The estate still passes through probate, which is a matter of public record and takes months. |
| Trust-based plan | Everything above, plus a revocable living trust, a schedule of assets, and a certification of trust. | Avoids probate for assets titled into the trust, keeps the estate private, and makes an out-of-state property far easier to handle. |
Documents are prepared from state-specific templates through a third-party document provider and are reviewed with you before signing.
The part everyone misses
A signed trust is not a finished trust.
Most estate plans do not fail because the document was wrong. They fail because of what happened — or didn't — after it was signed. This is the financial work, and it is the reason a firm like ours does this at all.
The beneficiary forms still say something else
Retirement accounts and life insurance pass by beneficiary designation. That form outranks the will every time — including when it still names an ex-spouse or a parent who has died.
Nobody looked at it again
A plan written before a marriage, a birth, a business sale, or a move to another state quietly stops matching the life it was built for.
Funding the trust, aligning the beneficiary forms, and reviewing it as life changes is financial work — and it is exactly what our office does.
Common questions
Asked across our desk
Are you attorneys?
No. Americana Financial Group is a financial and insurance firm. We do not practise law and we do not give legal advice. Documents are prepared from state-specific templates through a third-party provider, and our work is the financial side: funding the trust, aligning beneficiary designations, and reviewing the plan as your life changes.
When would I need an estate attorney instead?
Blended families with competing interests, a taxable estate, a special-needs beneficiary, business succession with partners, or property in several states. If your situation looks like that, we will say so on the first call and point you to counsel rather than sell you the wrong thing.
What happens to my retirement accounts and life insurance?
They pass by beneficiary designation, not by will — which is precisely why they get overlooked. We pull every policy and account and make the designations match the plan. This is often the single most valuable hour of the whole process.
What if my situation changes?
Bring it to your review. Marriage, a birth, a death, a move to another state, or a business sale are exactly the moments a plan needs looking at again.
The field guide library · Free
Two guides. Sixteen pages. No jargon.
Claiming ages, enrollment windows, the five-year look-back, and how to protect the spouse at home. Enter your email and both downloads unlock on the spot.
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Guide Nº 1 → Guide Nº 2 →Request an estate review
The plan you keep putting off starts with one conversation.
LegalShield is a separate legal-services membership offered through Jonathon P. Krikie Sr. as an independent associate. It is not affiliated with LPL Financial, and it is not an insurance or investment product.
Who to call
Your Estate Planning desk.
The associates who live in this discipline — call or book them directly.
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Americana Financial Group is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services. Estate planning documents are prepared through a third-party provider. Nothing on this page is legal or tax advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created by contacting us. Consult a qualified attorney regarding your particular circumstances.