Do You Need a Trust in Colorado if You’re Under 40?
Think trusts are only for the wealthy or the retired? Think again. Schedule your FutureProof Planning Session today to see if a trust makes sense for you.
If you’re under 40, you’ve probably thought: “I don’t have enough assets yet” or “trusts are for older people - I’ll just deal with this later.”
Here’s the reality: most people who should have a trust don’t - and most people who don’t think they need one do.
This isn’t about age. It’s about structure, risk, and what happens if something goes wrong.
WHAT A TRUST ACTUALLY DOES
A revocable living trust is a structure that:
Holds your assets
Lets you control them during your lifetime
Transfers them privately when you die
Avoids probate in Colorado
It’s not just a document - its a system for managing and transferring wealth.
WHEN YOU NEED A TRUST UNDER AGE 40
You likely need a trust if one or more of the following are true:
You Own Real Estate in Colorado: If you own a home in Colorado, this alone may justify a trust. Why? Because real estate alone is one of the most common probate triggers and, without proper planning, your property may go through probate. A trust allows you to transfer your home to heirs without the need for probate.
You Have Kids or Plan to Grow Your Family: If you have minor kids, a trust becomes much more important. It allows you to control how and when money is distributed, avoiding handing assets to kids at age 18, and structure inheritance responsibly. This is about protecting your kids - not just transferring money.
Your Net Worth is Growing: You don’t need to be rich to benefit from a trust. If you own a home, have retirement accounts or other types of investments, or run your own business, you already have enough complexity to justify planning.
You Want to Avoid Probate: If your long-term legacy goals include privacy, efficiency, and less burden on your family, a trust is the most reliable way to avoid the extreme time and cost of probate in Colorado.
You Own Bitcoin or Digital Assets: This is where traditional planning breaks down. If you are planning with Bitcoin or other digital assets, a will is not enough - and probate will not solve technical access problems. A trust-based structure, combined with proper access protocols, is often the best solution.
You Want to FutureProof Your Family: Even if your estate is simple, a trust can eliminate court involvement, speed up distribution of assets, and reduce confusion and stress. All of these things will benefit your family over the long run and help them navigate future economic uncertainty.
WHEN YOU MAY NOT NEED A TRUST
To be fair, not everyone needs or would substantially benefit from a trust. For certain estates, particularly simple estates, a basic will package may be sufficient to private adequate protection - for now.
Classic examples of simple estates include:
Families who don’t own any real estate
Families with minimal assets (e.g., <$50k)
Families who own all assets jointly or with clear beneficiary designations
Families who are comfortable with probate or require court supervision to resolve complex inheritance issues or relationship dynamics
THE MIDDLE GROUND: MILLENNIAL COUPLES, DIGITAL ASSET HOLDERS, AND YOUNG FAMILIES
A large amount of individuals and families who are set to inherit gobs of money from Baby Boomers over the next two decades currently fall into the “middle ground” where they check some but not all of the boxes in each of the foregoing groups. For example, Millennial couples, Bitcoiners, and young families may be building wealth and just starting out on their homeownership or child-rearing journeys, but do not have a high net worth.
This is precisely the time period when a trust makes sense because it is simple to setup, easy to monitor and update over time, and economically justified by the fact that probate generally results in a loss of between 3-7% of the total value of one’s estate (a significant amount of loss for a growing family).
While it is not uncommon for these groups to feel instinctively that “the cost of a trust is too high” or “AI can just draft my plan for me,” waiting too long tends to add cost and complexity later on, poses a greater risk to their families over time, and often leads to mistakes and problems that cannot be automated by AI, such as improper funding or the lack of a trusted point of contact for legal emergencies. Of note, AI also does not carry malpractice insurance.
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE UNDER 40s
The biggest mistake under-40-year-olds make is doing nothing. The default strategy of dealing with your estate later is diametrically opposed to the realities of the world we live in today. Life doesn’t operate on our preferred timelines. Accidents happen. Health issues happen. Unexpected events happen.
Still not convinced? Just take a look at the global uncertainty index.
Estate planning allows you to regain some control over the risk curve and become future-proof.
WHAT THIS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE
Let’s make this concrete:
Scenario 1: 35-year old tech worker owns a $600k home in Colorado and has some retirement assets.
—> A trust likely makes sense.
Scenario 2: 29-year old graphic designer rents and owns minimal assets.
—> A trust may not make sense yet, but a will and advanced directives are still critical.
Scenario 3: 38-year old physician with a spouse and 2 minor kids owns a home, some retirement assets, and 0.5 Bitcoin.
—> A trust is absolutely necessary.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you’re under 40, stop asking the question if you are old enough for a trust. Instead, ask whether you have enough complexity within your assets and personal risk tolerance to proceed without one.
FAQS ABOUT TRUSTS IN COLORADO
Q1: Is a trust worth it if I’m young?
It depends on your assets, goals, and risk tolerance - not your age. If you own property, have kids, or are building meaningful wealth (or planning to do any of these items), a trust will provide significant benefits even in your 20s and 30s.
Q2: Can I just set up a trust later?
Yes - but waiting often creates more complexity, higher costs, and greater risk exposure. By contrast, advanced planning often results in simplicity, lower costs, and peace of mind.
Q3: Do I still need a will if I have a trust?
Yes. A “pour-over will” acts as a safety net for assets not placed in your trusts.
Q4: Is a trust expensive in Colorado?
A trust costs more upfront than a will but can save money over the long-term by avoiding probate, reduce administrative burdens, and provide better long-term control over property for you and your heirs.
Q5: Does a trust avoid taxes?
Revocable living trusts are not tax-avoidance tools, but certain types of trusts may help to mitigate estate and gift taxes for high net worth families. The primary benefit of revocable living trusts are probate avoidance, privacy, and control.
FutureProof Law, L.L.C. is a private wealth and estate planning virtual law firm focused on helping affluent Millennials, Bitcoiners, and forward-thinking families protect their privacy, portability, and sovereignty in the digital age. Founded in 2026 by Attorney Jake Bruner, FutureProof Law, L.L.C. prioritizes an underserved generation of worried clients building wealth and legacies in a modern world. Through the preparation of creative and compassionate, digitally-native estate plans, FutureProof Law, L.L.C. helps the next generation of clients in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania seize control of their lives and legacies on the cusp of the largest transfer of wealth in history. To begin planning your future, book your FutureProof Planning Session today or contact Jake Bruner directly by phone (303-962-0625) or email (jake@futureproof.law).
