Last month, we discussed creating a will. If you’ve done that, you've already done the most important thing — decided that what you've built should keep building after you're gone. A will captures that decision. It names Regent. It names your children. It tells everyone what you wanted.

But a will only speaks once your estate enters probate. And probate is a courtroom — public, slow, and often confusing for the family you're trying to take care of.

A revocable living trust does something different. It doesn't just name your beneficiaries. It hands them what you've left, directly, without the court in the middle.

Here's what that looks like in practice. You set up the trust during your lifetime. You move your assets into it — your home, your accounts, the investments you've held for years. You stay in full control. You can change the trust. You can revoke it. You can spend the assets, sell them, or add to them, just as you always have. Nothing about your daily life shifts.

What shifts is what happens after. When the time comes, your trustee distributes the assets according to your instructions. No probate filing. No waiting months for the court. No public record of what you owned or where it went. Your family receives what you intended, when you intended, without explaining themselves to a judge.

For a donor who's named Regent in an estate plan, the difference matters. A bequest in a will arrives at Regent after probate runs its course — sometimes a year, sometimes longer. A bequest through a living trust arrives directly. The work you wanted your gift to do — training the next generation of Christian leaders, extending the ministry you've helped build — starts sooner.

Donors who name Regent in a living trust are welcomed into the Legacy Society during their lifetime, with the recognition and updates that membership brings. The gift doesn't have to wait to be honored.

A revocable living trust isn't the right tool for every estate. Whether it fits yours depends on what you own, where you live, and what you want your gift to do. It's worth a conversation.

If you've already named Regent in your plans, or you're thinking about it, call Dan Tubbs at 757.352.4845 or email [email protected]. No pressure, no commitment.

You living trust will continue to equip Christian Leadership to Change the World
 

Gratefully,



Daniel Tubbs, M.Ed.
Director of Advancement
Regent University
1000 Regent University Drive, ADM Building, Virginia Beach, VA 23464
757.352.4156
[email protected]
Leave a Legacy. Ask Me How! regentlegacy.org

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This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.