🐎 How to Set Up a Trust in Kentucky (2025 Guide)

🐎 How to Set Up a Trust in Kentucky (2025 Guide)

Kentucky families are increasingly turning to living trusts to protect their homes, avoid the hassle of probate, and pass on their legacy without court interference.

If you're a Kentucky resident thinking about creating a trust — but don’t want to pay thousands to a lawyer — this simple, legal guide is for you.

🔍 What Is a Trust?

A trust is a legal tool that lets you transfer ownership of your assets into a structure managed by a trustee, for the benefit of your loved ones (beneficiaries). The most popular type in Kentucky is the Revocable Living Trust, which:

• Avoids probate

• Keeps your estate private

• Lets you manage your assets while you're alive

• Automatically transfers property to your heirs when you pass

• Helps plan for incapacity due to illness or injury

📍 How to Set Up a Trust in Kentucky

1. Choose Your Trust Type

Start with a Revocable Living Trust, which is:

• Fully legal in Kentucky

• More flexible than a will

• Customizable to your family needs

Optional add-ons include:
☐ Minor’s Trust
☐ Special Needs Trust
☐ Spendthrift Protection
☐ Dynasty Clause (for multi-generational control)

✅ TrustGenie includes these — no upsells or hidden fees.

2. Assign the Key Roles

☐ Grantor – That’s you, the creator of the trust
☐ Trustee – Person who manages the trust (often you)
☐ Successor Trustee – Takes over if you pass away or are incapacitated
☐ Beneficiaries – Who will inherit your assets

3. List and Organize Your Assets

Common Kentucky trust assets include:

• Real estate (your home, rental properties, farms)

• Bank and retirement accounts

• Vehicles, jewelry, collectibles

• Small businesses and LLC interests

• Digital assets (e.g., cryptocurrency, websites)

✅ TrustGenie provides a Schedule A and General Assignment form for listing and assigning assets.

4. Sign and Notarize Your Trust

Kentucky does not require witnesses for your trust to be valid, but notarization is needed for full validity.

✅ TrustGenie gives you the exact notarization instructions required in Kentucky.

5. Fund the Trust

This is the most important step — and the one most people forget.

To fund your Kentucky trust:

☐ File a Quitclaim or Warranty Deed for Kentucky real estate
☐ Retitle your bank and investment accounts
☐ Assign personal property using the General Assignment
☐ Update beneficiary designations for life insurance and retirement plans

🚨 A trust that is not funded will not avoid probate — even if it’s perfectly written.

⚠️ Common Mistakes in Kentucky

❌ Failing to fund the trust
❌ Forgetting out-of-state property
❌ Naming minor children without setting up a subtrust
❌ Using out-of-state templates not valid in Kentucky
❌ Not telling your Successor Trustee where documents are stored

💰 How Much Does a Trust Cost in Kentucky?

Method Cost Estate Attorney$2,500 – $6,000+ Generic Template$100 – $400 (limited support) TrustGenie$150/year — all-inclusive

✅ TrustGenie gives you everything you need — the trust forms, Kentucky-specific deed templates, funding guides, and unlimited updates.

🧠 Do You Need a Lawyer to Create a Trust in Kentucky?

No. Under Kentucky law, any mentally competent adult can legally create their own trust that:

• Is in writing

• Names a trustee and beneficiaries

• Is properly signed and notarized

• Is funded with assets

✅ TrustGenie helps you do all of this — affordably and legally.

📎 Free Download: Kentucky Trust Checklist

(You can request the plain-text version anytime.)

✅ Ready to Protect Your Legacy?

Thousands of families in the Bluegrass State use TrustGenie to avoid court, reduce stress, and pass on their wealth — without paying steep legal fees.

👉 [Create Your Kentucky Trust – $150/year]

🔗 Related Articles:

• [How to Avoid Probate in Kentucky]

• [How to Transfer a Home into a Trust in KY]

• [What Happens If You Die Without a Trust in Kentucky?]

✍️ Written by:
TrustGenie Legal Team
Helping Kentucky families secure their future with smarter estate planning.