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DAL Law Firm: How To Fund Your Revocable Living Trust

Creating a revocable living trust (trust) is just the first step in protecting your assets and easing estate administration.

In Washington State, the essential next step is properly funding your trust—transferring ownership of your assets into the trust. Without this, your trust won’t avoid probate and may not operate as you intended.

Here’s how to fund your Washington trust, step by step:

1. Inventory Your Assets

Begin by making a comprehensive list of all assets:

  • Real estate (your home, rental property, land)
  • Financial accounts (checking, savings, CDs, brokerage)
  • Titled personal property (vehicles, boats)
  • Untitled personal property (jewelry, collectibles, heirlooms)
  • Business interests, life insurance, retirement accounts ─ noting which can be transferred and which require beneficiary designation

2. Transfer Real Estate

To fund real property, have a deed prepared to retitle the property into your trust. The deed must be notarized and recorded with the county recorder where the property is located.

3. Retitle Bank and Investment Accounts

Update financial accounts to either list the trust as the account owner or as beneficiary. For life insurance, 401(k)s, IRAs, and TOD/POD accounts, name your trust as the primary or contingent beneficiary. This ensures proceeds flow seamlessly into the trust after your death.

4. Maintain & Update Your Trust

Funding is not a “one-and-done” task. Each time you acquire a significant asset or open a new account, retitle it into the trust or revise your beneficiary designations. Otherwise, those assets may end up in probate despite having a trust.

5. Why Funding Matters in Washington

Washington residents gain several benefits from a properly funded trust:

  • Avoid probate, saving your heirs time and money
  • Maintain privacy—trusts are not public record and keep your estate out of court
  • Prevent ancillary probate if you own property outside Washington 

A revocable living trust must be actively funded to function. Follow these steps: catalog assets, retitle or designate beneficiaries, properly transfer every asset into your trust—and update it regularly. That way, your trust truly works for you and your loved ones.

Need help? Contact DAL Law Firm to assist you at (206) 408-8158.

You can also visit our YouTube channel to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/@dallawfirm.

You can also learn more about our services by visiting our website:

https://www.dallawfirm.com

Contact us:

19803 1st Avenue S.
Suite 200
Normandy Park, WA 98148

T (206) 408-8158
F (206) 374-2810

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