How do you fund a living trust?

Step 1 — Inventory what you own

Before anything is transferred, list every asset and how it is currently titled: real estate, bank accounts, brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, annuities, business interests, vehicles, and valuables. Note the exact title on each one.

This inventory is also what prevents the other common disaster — assets nobody can find after you are gone.

Step 2 — Retitle real estate

Real estate funding often involves a deed and county recording, but requirements vary by property and jurisdiction.

Deeds can affect title, taxes, mortgages, insurance, and probate. Use a qualified attorney or title professional rather than relying solely on a downloaded form.

Step 3 — Retitle accounts and assets

• Bank and credit union accounts — retitle in the name of the trust.
• Non-retirement brokerage and investment accounts — retitle in the name of the trust.
• Business interests — assign LLC membership interests or shares to the trust, subject to any operating agreement or buy-sell restrictions.
• Notes receivable and other contract rights — assign to the trust.
• Valuable personal property, collections, and untitled items — transfer with an assignment of personal property.

Step 4 — Handle beneficiary designations deliberately

Some assets should not be retitled into the trust, but their beneficiary designations still need to be coordinated with it.

• Retirement accounts (401(k), IRA, 403(b)) — do not change ownership without qualified tax and legal advice; beneficiary choices can have significant tax consequences.
• Annuities and other beneficiary-driven accounts — coordinate beneficiary choices with the issuer and qualified tax or legal professionals.
• Health savings accounts — keep in your name, with beneficiaries named.
• Vehicles — treatment varies by state; many plans leave them out and use a small-estate procedure instead.

Step 5 — Keep funding it

Funding should be reviewed as assets change. New accounts, property, and business interests may require updated titling or beneficiary decisions.

This is why funding should be revisited periodically rather than treated as a one-time event. A signed trust may not control assets that were never properly connected to it.