Funding the Trust: Turning a Good Estate Plan into a Working Plan
A well-drafted trust may not work as intended if assets are never properly transferred or coordinated with the overall estate plan. This practical presentation will review common trust-funding gaps involving homes, bank and investment accounts, business interests, retirement accounts, life insurance, and beneficiary designations. Attendees will receive a simple framework for identifying problems, coordinating among the client’s professional advisers, and helping ensure the estate plan works when it is needed most. This will be an interactive discussion, and participants are encouraged to bring their own practical tips, successful approaches, and recurring issues for the group to discuss.
Sarah E. Uhrik is a Central Florida native raised in Lake County, Florida. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Florida and her Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, now the University of Illinois College of Law. After returning to Florida and joining the Florida Bar, Sarah became part of McLin Burnsed’s estate planning team at its Lake Sumter Landing office, where she later became the first female attorney elected to the firm’s Board of Directors as an equity member in its more than 50-year history. Following McLin Burnsed’s closure in 2025, Sarah and her partners, Jeffrey P. Skates and Loren M. Vasquez, founded Skates Uhrik Vasquez Law.
Sarah focuses her practice on comprehensive estate planning, high-net-worth trust planning, probate and trust administration, and corporate law. She works closely with financial advisors and certified public accountants to help clients achieve their goals.
