Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Lawyer Explains Why You Should 'Never Leave Anything' To Your Kids In Your Will In Eye-Opening TikTok

Split screen of screenshots from @brittanycohen_attorney's TikTok video
@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok

For money protection attorney and TikToker Brittany Cohen, it all boils down to living trusts.

Unless you specifically work in legal or financial spaces, wills, inheritance accounts and other similar topics can feel really overwhelming, if not literally inaccessible.

Attorney Brittany Cohen has been working hard on her TikTok channel to demystify these tough subjects and to help her viewers make better decisions for themselves and their families.


One subject she's been seeing a lot of people approach inefficiently is the creation of their will. While many people think that this is the be-all-end-all solution for families and their assets, Cohen argues that wills often leave much to be desired.

In a viral TikTok video, Cohen explains that important assets like money, houses, and important possessions should be placed into a trust with beneficiaries appointed.

If a person wants everything to go to their children when they pass away, they're better off appointing their children as beneficiaries, rather than putting their names directly on a will.

You can watch the video here:

@brittanycohen_attorney

Trusts are for the middle class too #fy #fyp #foryou #foryourpage #foryoupage #estateplanning #attorney #assetprotection #livingtrust #wills #probate #probatecourt #beneficiary #ssi #investor #family #wealth #generations #momsoftiktok #dadsoftiktok #middleclass

The attorney's comments blew up with questions and, quite frankly, skepticism.

@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok


@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok


@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok

Some TikTokers quipped that they would never need to worry about these tips, since they had no money to pass to their children.

@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok

@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok

But Cohen argued that "trusts are for the middle-class, too," and explained that these principles could be applied to anything a family member might want to pass down to someone that they wanted to guarantee would go to them and not someone else.

Even if a person doesn't have a large sum of money or a house to pass down, they might have belongings of great importance that they want to guarantee will go to someone special. A trust is more likely to protect that desire than a will, and any financial costs associated with that item will be protected from inflation.

Others questioned Cohen's reasoning around putting a home in a trust, but her response made sense.

Using a property like a home as an example, Cohen explains that transferring the ownership of the home from the parents to the children will require a reevaluation of the property taxes of that home. Because of inflation and more, the home likely will have much higher property taxes now than when the parents first purchased it, placing a much greater financial burden on their kids.

A trust would effectively work as a time capsule, locking the value and property taxes required into essentially a static position, only requiring the children to pick up the expenses where their parents left off, rather than having to pay substantially more than their predecessors.

With Cohen's additional advice, fellow TikTokers started to come around to the idea.

@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok

@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok

@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok

@brittanycohen_attorney/TikTok

Though everyone has to do their own research and decide what is best for their family, as well as where they want to open up a trust and who all will be appointed to that account, this seems like an option more families should be looking into.

It's important to note that this option is not "just for rich people," and folks with lower incomes who believe they are potentially selling themselves, their families and their possessions short.

More from Trending

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less