🦀 How to Set Up a Trust in Maryland (2025 Guide)

🦀 How to Set Up a Trust in Maryland (2025 Guide)

Maryland residents are increasingly turning to living trusts to avoid probate, protect their homes, and ensure their loved ones receive their assets without legal delays.

If you want to create a valid, enforceable trust in Maryland — without paying thousands in attorney fees — this guide breaks it down step-by-step.

🔍 What Is a Trust?

A trust is a legal tool that lets you transfer ownership of your assets to a structure managed by a trustee, for the benefit of chosen beneficiaries.

The most common type in Maryland is the Revocable Living Trust, which:

✅ Avoids probate
✅ Keeps your estate private
✅ Lets you stay in control while you're alive
✅ Automatically transfers assets when you pass
✅ Helps plan for incapacity or medical emergencies

📍 How to Set Up a Trust in Maryland

1. Choose the Type of Trust

Start with a Revocable Living Trust, which is:

• Fully legal in Maryland

• Flexible while you’re alive

• Easier to maintain than a will

• Compatible with Maryland’s real estate and probate laws

Optional Add-ons:
☐ Special Needs Trust
☐ Minor’s Trust
☐ Spendthrift Clause
☐ Pet Trust
☐ Dynasty/Legacy Clause

✅ TrustGenie includes these in one affordable package.

2. Assign Key Roles

☐ Grantor – You (the person creating the trust)
☐ Trustee – Manages the trust (often you)
☐ Successor Trustee – Takes over when you die or become incapacitated
☐ Beneficiaries – Who will receive the trust’s assets

3. List and Assign Assets

Include everything you want protected:

☐ Maryland real estate
☐ Bank accounts and CDs
☐ Investment and retirement accounts
☐ Vehicles and personal valuables
☐ Small businesses or LLCs
☐ Digital assets (e.g., crypto, NFTs, websites)

✅ TrustGenie provides a Schedule A and General Assignment Form for this step.

4. Sign & Notarize the Trust

• Maryland law requires that your trust be written and signed

• Notarization is required to establish full validity

• No witnesses are required for revocable trusts

✅ TrustGenie walks you through proper execution and signing.

5. Fund the Trust (Critical!)

Your trust won’t work unless it’s funded. Complete these steps:

☐ File a Maryland Quitclaim or Warranty Deed for real estate
☐ Rename bank/investment accounts into the trust
☐ Sign the General Assignment for personal property
☐ Update life insurance and retirement designations as needed

🚨 An unfunded trust will NOT avoid probate.

⚠️ Common Mistakes in Maryland

❌ Creating the trust but never funding it
❌ Not retitling real estate into the trust
❌ Using an out-of-state trust form not valid in MD
❌ Forgetting to include out-of-state or digital assets
❌ Not informing the Successor Trustee where to find documents

💰 How Much Does a Trust Cost in Maryland?

Method Cost Range Attorney$2,500 – $7,000+ Online Template$100 – $400 TrustGenie$150/year (all-inclusive)

✅ TrustGenie includes MD-specific templates, guidance, and funding tools.

🧠 Do You Need a Lawyer to Create a Maryland Trust?

No. Maryland law allows any competent adult to create a legal trust, as long as:

• It’s in writing

• Has a named trustee and beneficiaries

• Is properly signed and notarized

• Is funded with assets

✅ TrustGenie helps you do it — legally and affordably.

📎 Want a Printable Checklist?
Ask for the ✅ Maryland Trust Setup Checklist (available in plain text)

🔒 Ready to Take Control of Your Legacy?

Thousands of Maryland families use TrustGenie to simplify estate planning, avoid probate, and build generational wealth — without paying outrageous fees.

👉 [Create Your Maryland Trust – Just $150/year]