Will or Living Trust? Which Is for Me? And a Little More Michael Jackson…

The confusion over whether Michael Jackson had a will based estate plan or a living trust based estate plan probably led to the AP article discussing the differences between a will and living trust. You can read the article, including the Michael Jackson reference here: Will or Trust? Understanding the differences.

As the article explains, a will based estate plan is typically used when you’re only making one time distributions to individuals and do not care that your heirs have to use the Michigan probate court to administer the estate.

A living trust based estate plan avoids probate and also has provisions so that you are not leaving lump sum assets to beneficiaries.

Christopher J. Berry, Esq., A Bloomfield Hills Living Trust Attorney, is a Partner with The Law Offices of Witzke Berry PLLC, which practices in the areas of Estate Planning, Trusts and Estates, and Michigan Probate Litigation.