Putting together a Living Trust is a process that requires careful evaluation of your unique situation. Of course, you will need to have the Living Trust document drafted and signed before transferring property into the trust.

It is also essential that you have your Michigan Trust notarized. Getting a signature notarized usually involves sharing some evidence about your identity, followed by the notary watching you sign the Trust document and adding their own signature, date, and seal on the document.

While you signature is required in order to make a Living Trust legally valid, there are a variety of matters that must be properly handled before you sign the Trust. Among those, it is important to make sure that you have:

• included the names of all beneficiaries for whom you want to leave property behind,
• clearly identified all property,
• included each piece of property that you want to leave inside the Trust,
• spelled the names of beneficiaries consistently and accurately, and
• consulted an attorney.

A knowledgeable estate planning lawyer can help you if you have concerns about the legal impact of anything named in the Trust document or if you need to make updates to your Trust document.

Once signed and notarized, several states across the country require that a Trust be registered with a local court. Michigan is not one of those states. Your Trust is a private agreement between you, your Trustees and your beneficiaries and it is not required that it be registered with the court or county register.

To ensure that your Trust document complies with all relevant laws and rules and addresses your individual wishes, it is strongly recommended that you partner with a Michigan estate planning lawyer to assist with drafting your Trust.