The simplest trust you'll ever create — just name a beneficiary for your bank account and avoid probate.
A Totten Trust (also called a Payable-on-Death or POD account) is the simplest form of trust — it's essentially a bank account with a named beneficiary. During your lifetime, you maintain complete control over the account. Upon your death, the account balance passes directly to the named beneficiary without going through probate. It's quick, free-form, and requires no separate trust document beyond the financial institution's POD designation form.
While Totten Trusts are simple in concept, the legal formalities vary by state and financial institution. Forged in Trust provides the proper POD designation documentation customized to your jurisdiction, along with clear instructions for filing with your financial institution.
A Totten Trust (Payable-on-Death Account) designates a beneficiary to receive a bank or brokerage account balance upon the account owner's death, bypassing probate. The account owner retains full control during life — depositing, withdrawing, or closing the account at will. The beneficiary has no rights to the account until the owner's death, at which point the designated beneficiary presents a death certificate to the financial institution and receives the balance directly.
The Totten Trust protects account assets from probate — at the account owner's death, the financial institution transfers the balance directly to the named beneficiary without court involvement, within days of receiving the death certificate. This is the simplest, fastest, and lowest-cost probate-avoidance mechanism available. The account is protected by FDIC insurance (up to $250,000 per beneficiary category). Because the beneficiary has no present interest in the account, the owner's creditors cannot reach the beneficiary designation during the owner's lifetime.
After creation: (1) Verify with the financial institution that the account is properly designated as POD/Totten Trust with the correct beneficiary name, date of birth, and Social Security number on file. (2) Keep the beneficiary designation form with your estate planning documents. (3) Annual: review beneficiary designations — update after life events (marriage, divorce, birth, death of named beneficiary). (4) Name contingent beneficiaries in case the primary beneficiary predeceases the account owner. (5) At account owner's death: beneficiary presents certified death certificate to the financial institution to claim the balance — no probate, no court order.
Generate an attorney-review-ready totten trust in under 15 minutes. Backed by ChainLock™ blockchain anchoring for immutable proof of execution.
Get Started — $89Bitcoin OP_RETURN + Polygon Smart Contract
Every document generated by Forged in Trust is anchored to two blockchains simultaneously. A SHA-256 hash of the executed document is embedded in a Bitcoin OP_RETURN — immutable, permanent, secured by the highest hashrate on Earth. The same hash is recorded on Polygon via TrustAnchor.sol for instant verification and smart contract integration. Dual-chain anchoring eliminates single-point failure. Bitcoin proves existence. Polygon enables programmatic access. Year 1 free with every trust. Year 2+ $97/yr Standard / $197/yr Premium.
🔮 Quantum-Secured — Every document hash is salted with true cryptographically randomness. No computer — classical or quantum — can predict or reverse it. Learn how →
Your trust instrument is one of the most important legal documents you will ever create. Here is why anchoring it to the blockchain changes everything.
A SHA-256 cryptographic hash of your executed trust is permanently embedded in the Bitcoin blockchain — the most secure computing network in human history. Once recorded, the hash cannot be altered, deleted, or disputed. If anyone later claims the trust was modified or never existed, the blockchain proves which document existed on which date. No court can override mathematics.
Trust documents get lost in moves. They get destroyed in fires, floods, and earthquakes. Disgruntled parties destroy them. Law firms close and lose their files. The blockchain does not lose documents. It does not burn. It does not flood. Your trust exists forever — independent of any physical copy.
In a trust dispute, the burden of proof falls on the party asserting the document's validity. The blockchain flips this dynamic. The timestamp is mathematical — not testimonial. No witness can forget. No memory can fade. The blockchain is the witness that cannot be cross-examined. Present the Blockstream Explorer link in court. The judge can verify it independently.
When action is needed, your trustee and beneficiaries do not need to find a law firm, open a safe deposit box, or petition a court just to confirm the trust exists. They visit the verification page. They see the blockchain proof. Immediate. Irrefutable. No waiting. No gatekeepers.
The Bitcoin blockchain is maintained by tens of thousands of nodes across every continent. No government can shut it down. No corporation can delete it. No law firm can lose it. The proof of your trust exists independently of Forged in Trust, independently of any institution, independently of any jurisdiction. Even if this company ceases to exist, the Bitcoin blockchain will still contain your document's fingerprint.
Bitcoin has been running continuously since January 3, 2009 — through financial crises, wars, pandemics, and regime changes. It has never been hacked. It has never been shut down. It has never lost a single transaction. Your trust, anchored to Bitcoin, will outlast the law firm that drafted it, the bank that stored it, and the government that notarized it. Your great-grandchildren will be able to verify it.
$497/year maintains the chain.
One price. Every tier. That covers re-verification, chain monitoring, amendment re-anchoring, and the infrastructure that keeps your trust's proof permanently alive on both Bitcoin and Polygon. Lawyers charge $8,000+ for a single blockchain anchoring. We maintain both chains for $497/year — and the proof never expires.
Why blockchain and quantum anchoring matters for a Totten Trust
A Totten Trust (payable-on-death account) designates a beneficiary to receive bank or brokerage account assets upon the account holder's death, bypassing probate. Because these trusts are informal — often a simple designation form — disputes between the named beneficiary and estate heirs are common. Blockchain anchoring of the trust designation provides a fixed, date-certain record that the account holder intended the named beneficiary to receive the assets.
Your trust is the foundation. These products complete the picture.
Trust tax preparation — GAAP-compliant accrual accounting and IRS filings for trust structures.
Starting at $499
Learn more →Chain of title audits, SEC investigations, and forensic analysis of trust and securities structures.
Learn more →Multi-sig trustee management — cryptographic key distribution, access control, and succession planning.
From $1,200/yr
Learn more →Triple-Forged blockchain anchoring — Bitcoin, Polygon, and quantum-proof hashing for your trust documents.
Learn more →Forged-on-Chain™, Forged-in-Trust™, Triple-Forged™, AccruStrike™, ForensicPierce™, IronGrid™, Trustee Keys™, and Quantum Salt™ are trademarks of Forged on Chain LLC.
Forged on Chain LLC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Our products are self-help document preparation tools. Consult a licensed attorney for legal advice specific to your situation.