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Podcast Episode

How to Fund a Living Trust in Utah (Step-by-Step) [Ep. 132]

Legacy Lawyers··29 May 2026·40 min

About this episode

A living trust that was never funded doesn't avoid probate — it just delays it. Most Utah families who go through probate anyway had a trust sitting in a filing cabinet the whole time. The document isn't the plan. The funding is. In this episode, Nathan Croxford and Taylor Stone walk through exactly why 7 out of 10 living trusts fail at the worst possible moment, and give you a step-by-step checklist to make sure yours actually works. Key Takeaways: The Attorney-Client Gap: Why most trusts go unfunded — and why both sides assume the other one handled it. Asset-by-Asset Funding: What proper funding looks like for real property, bank accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance, vehicles, and business interests under Utah law. The Retirement Account Exception: Why retitling your IRA into a trust triggers immediate income tax on the entire balance — and what to do instead. The Refinancing Trap: How a routine mortgage refinance silently removes your home from your trust — and how to make sure it gets put back.