Are trusts protected from divorce?
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Are trusts protected from divorce?
The short answer is the assets of a standard form of trust are almost always available on divorce (the reasons are set out below). However, with special advice and the use of particular forms of trust, assets can be protected from divorce.
How is a trust handled in a divorce?
If marital property is placed in an irrevocable trust, that trust cannot be changed and the assets in it cannot be removed and divided in the divorce. The trust assets remain in the trust until after the death of the grantor, when they are distributed to the beneficiaries in accordance with the trust’s terms.
Is an irrevocable trust safe from divorce?
As the grantor or creator of an irrevocable trust, if you place assets into one before your marriage, these are never marital property and are never at risk in a divorce. You don’t actually own them when you marry your trust does. The downside, of course, is that an irrevocable trust is forever.
