What a Texas RLT can do
- →Help avoid probate — for properly funded assets titled in the name of the trust.
- →Provide a defined plan for incapacity — a named successor trustee steps in without a court-ordered guardianship over your finances.
- →Keep the disposition of trust assets private — probate filings become public record, trust administration typically does not.
- →Support smooth successor management when you are gone — assets flow to beneficiaries under the trust's terms rather than a court-supervised probate.
What a Texas RLT does NOT do
- →It does not automatically save income or estate taxes for most families.
- →It does not protect assets from your own creditors during your lifetime — it is revocable, so you still control it.
- →It does not eliminate the need for a will — a pour-over will catches anything you forgot to fund.
- →It does not work as intended until it is properly funded — a paper trust with an empty balance sheet accomplishes very little.
Who typically administers a Texas RLT
You (the settlor) typically serve as the initial trustee and beneficiary during your lifetime, so day-to-day life doesn't change. You name a successor trustee — a spouse, adult child, trusted friend, professional fiduciary, or corporate trustee — who takes over on your incapacity or death. Choosing the right successor is often the single most consequential decision in a Texas trust plan.
The funding step people skip
The most common failure mode we see is a beautifully drafted trust that was never funded. Funding means retitling assets — your Texas home, bank accounts, brokerage accounts, business interests — into the name of the trust. For properly funded assets, the trust does its job. For unfunded assets, your pour-over will still routes them into probate before they land in the trust.