Joint revocable living trust (for spouses)
One trust for both spouses that keeps your estate out of probate — drafted to fit the new Kentucky law starting July 15.
What it is
A joint revocable living trust is a single trust that both spouses create and fund together. While you are both alive and able, the two of you serve as co-trustees and keep full control. At the first death, the surviving spouse continues as sole trustee for life; at the second death, the trust passes to the people you both named.
Available July 15, 2026 — the date a new Kentucky law (2026 Senate Bill 50) takes effect. SB 50 rewrites how much of a deceased spouse’s property a surviving spouse is entitled to, and it expressly reaches the assets of a revocable living trust. A joint trust for spouses is drafted to fit that new law: because the trust holds property for the benefit of the surviving spouse, the survivor’s statutory share is satisfied through the trust rather than fought over.
Who needs it
Married couples who want one combined trust instead of two separate single-settlor trusts. A joint trust keeps both spouses’ estate planning in a single instrument, with one set of beneficiaries and a built-in plan for what happens at the first death.
This is the standard "all to the surviving spouse for life, then to the children" pattern. Tax-driven sub-trusts (credit-shelter, bypass, QTIP), disclaimer trusts, special-needs sub-trusts, blended-family staging, and unequal first-death splits are individually-tailored attorney work beyond this product — your attorney will discuss the right path if your situation calls for one.
Spouses who each want their own separate trust should use the single-settlor Revocable living trust product instead. A joint trust is one trust for the two of you.
Kentucky authority
KRS Chapter 386B (Kentucky Uniform Trust Code — adopted 2014), including the multi-settlor revocation default of KRS 386B.6-020(2) (Kentucky is not a community-property state, so each settlor may revoke or amend only the portion attributable to that settlor’s contribution). 2026 Kentucky Senate Bill 50, effective July 15, 2026, restructures the surviving spouse’s share (KRS 392.020) to reach revocable-trust assets and carves out a trust for the benefit of the surviving spouse. The joint trust is drafted to align with that law as of its effective date.
What happens after you start
Your draft is assembled from your answers, reviewed by Durward Elton Johnson before delivery, and sent to you via secure one-time-use download link. The delivery includes the document itself, a Kentucky-specific wet-ink execution instructions packet, and a receipt.
The information on this page is general — it is not legal advice for your specific situation. Bluegrass Cornerstone is a service of Johnson Legal PLLC, a Kentucky law firm. When you engage Cornerstone, you engage Johnson Legal PLLC under a standard attorney-client relationship.
When this launches
This product is in final attorney review and launches July 15, 2026, the effective date of 2026 Kentucky SB 50. Until then, reach out and we will let you know the moment it is available, or schedule a consultation if you would like to start the conversation now.
A joint trust, like any revocable living trust, only works once it is FUNDED — and a joint trust has two of you retitling assets, plus two pour-over wills (one per spouse). The funding and pour-over work is handled in the separate Johnson Legal execution and funding session.