Dear Liz: My friend died unexpectedly. I am helping her stepson, who is the successor trustee for her living trust, to get the estate settled. Her estranged son was a beneficiary on her main checking account and took the money as soon as she died, which was his right. However, it has taken three months for the stepson to gain access to her other funds in several brokerage accounts. In the meantime, it’s been a challenge for him to pay the lawyer and burial expenses and keep the lights on in her house while he gets it ready for sale.

I don’t want my trustee to have that same problem. Is it better to put my checking account into the name of the trust, or is it better to name the trust as the beneficiary of the account? What’s the best way to ensure my trustee has quick access to the short-

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