Do you need to change your trust when you move to another state?

More than likely, you won't need to change your revocable living trust when you move to another state. However, you may need to redo your related documents like your living will and powers of attorney.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Marion, you're on news 96:5, go ahead.

Marion: Good morning.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Hey.

Marion: My husband and I bought a beautiful piece of property up near Thomasville Georgia, and we're going to be moving in about three years or so when we retire. We currently have a family trust and will set up with an attorney here in Clermont. How would that be impacted by us moving to another state?

Attorney Tom Olsen: Probably not at all. The living trust that you created is common-law, it's good in Florida, it's going to be good in Georgia. My recommend, Marion, is that when you do move to Georgia I do recommend that you check in with an estate planning attorney, and you run all of your documents by him or her, and get his or her opinion about your documents and see if there's anything that's specific to Georgia law that may want to get changed.

Marion: Okay, that's what I thought. I just wanted to verify.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Marion, for example, nothing may-- we won't need to change your trust, but for example, Florida has a statute that deals with living wills, the document where you ask that you not be kept alive by machines, the pull the plug document. Georgia might very well have a different statute dealing with living wills that require some language as specific to living wills in Georgia. It may not necessarily be your trust that gets changed, but you're related documents that get changed.

Marion: Okay, will do. Thanks for the information.

Attorney Tom Olsen: All right, Marion, thank you for calling. We appreciate it. Hey, folks, my name is Tom Olsen, and the name of the show is Olsen and Law. We're going to take a break, we'll be back in just a few minutes.