The Bancroft JournalLong-form essays on trust funding, UPL compliance, white-label estate planning, and advisor practice building from the team at Bancroft.https://usebancroft.com/blog2026-04-25T00:00:00ZBancrofthttps://usebancroft.comMichigan L-4260: the affidavit estate platforms forgethttps://usebancroft.com/blog/michigan-l-4260-property-transfer-affidavit2026-04-25T00:00:00Z2026-04-25T00:00:00ZMichigan requires a Property Transfer Affidavit (L-4260) within 45 days of any deed recording. Most estate platforms generate the deed and stop.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comNaming a trust as IRA beneficiary after the 2024 regshttps://usebancroft.com/blog/naming-a-trust-as-ira-beneficiary2026-04-25T00:00:00Z2026-04-25T00:00:00ZHow the 2024 final inherited-IRA regulations changed the math on naming a trust as IRA beneficiary, and the household profiles that need review.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comWhy most revocable trusts are never fundedhttps://usebancroft.com/blog/why-most-trusts-are-never-funded2026-04-09T00:00:00Z2026-04-24T00:00:00ZSixty to eighty percent of revocable trusts are never properly funded. The signature page is the finish line. The funding step is where every plan quietly fails. Here is why, and how to fix it.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comAttorney-reviewed vs attorney-prepared: the real distinctionhttps://usebancroft.com/blog/attorney-reviewed-vs-attorney-prepared2026-04-15T00:00:00Z2026-04-24T00:00:00ZAttorney-reviewed and attorney-prepared sound alike but describe two different services. Here is the distinction, and why it matters under UPL.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comThe hidden cost of brand interruption in advisor techhttps://usebancroft.com/blog/hidden-cost-of-brand-interruption2026-04-16T00:00:00Z2026-04-24T00:00:00ZEvery vendor logo a client sees in a white-label advisor portal creates a small doubt. Small doubts compound. Here is the real cost across a decade.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comBeneficiary designation drift: the silent failure modehttps://usebancroft.com/blog/beneficiary-designation-drift2026-04-17T00:00:00Z2026-04-24T00:00:00ZBeneficiary forms on retirement accounts and insurance policies override the will. When they go stale, the estate plan quietly fails at death.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comThe fourteen-item post-divorce estate planning audithttps://usebancroft.com/blog/post-divorce-estate-planning-audit2026-04-23T00:00:00Z2026-04-24T00:00:00ZA divorce decree does not update beneficiary forms, trusts, or powers of attorney. Here is the 14-item post-divorce audit advisors should run.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comSimple will vs pour-over will: what each actually doeshttps://usebancroft.com/blog/simple-will-vs-pour-over-will2026-04-23T00:00:00Z2026-04-24T00:00:00ZA simple will distributes probate assets. A pour-over will is a safety net for a trust-based plan. Neither avoids probate. Here is the real difference.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comWhat ABA Opinion 512 means for AI in estate planning techhttps://usebancroft.com/blog/aba-opinion-512-ai-estate-planning-tech2026-04-24T00:00:00Z2026-04-24T00:00:00ZThe ABA’s July 2024 opinion on generative AI maps six Model Rule duties onto lawyer AI use. Here is what that means for advisor-facing legal tech.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comWhat happens when a trust is unfunded at deathhttps://usebancroft.com/blog/what-happens-when-a-trust-is-unfunded-at-death2026-04-14T00:00:00Z2026-04-14T00:00:00ZThe grantor dies. The trust exists. The trust owns nothing. Here is what actually happens next: probate, cost, time, family conflict, and the advisor relationship that ends quietly in the aftermath.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comWhat advisors can and cannot say about estate planninghttps://usebancroft.com/blog/what-advisors-can-and-cannot-say2026-04-11T00:00:00Z2026-04-11T00:00:00ZThe line between educating a client and practicing law is older and clearer than most advisors think. Here are the phrases that keep you safe, the ones that cross the line, and the script for every common client question.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comFunding letters: what they are, why they exist, and what banks actually wanthttps://usebancroft.com/blog/funding-letters-what-banks-actually-want2026-04-10T00:00:00Z2026-04-10T00:00:00ZA funding letter is the formal written request that transfers an asset into a trust. Every institution wants something slightly different. Here is what goes into a real funding letter, what banks and brokerages actually require, and why most advisors handle this wrong.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comThe UPL gray zone for financial advisorshttps://usebancroft.com/blog/upl-gray-zone-for-advisors2026-04-09T00:00:00Z2026-04-09T00:00:00ZDocument preparation is not the practice of law. Selecting documents on behalf of a client is. The line is older and clearer than most advisors think. The framework, and how to stay on the right side of it.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.comWhat white-label actually means in advisor techhttps://usebancroft.com/blog/what-white-label-actually-means-in-advisor-tech2026-04-09T00:00:00Z2026-04-09T00:00:00ZWhite-label is the worst-defined word in advisor tech. There are five distinct tiers, and most platforms sit at the bottom two. Here is the spectrum, and where each model breaks for advisors.Bancrofthttps://usebancroft.com