When it comes to estate planning, clients want three things: protection, control, and flexibility. But traditional irrevocable trusts often ask them to sacrifice one or more of those. That’s where the iPug® Protection Trust changes the game, for both clients and attorneys.
Developed in 2001, by nationally renowned estate and asset protection attorney Dave Zumpano and offered exclusively by Lawyers With Purpose (LWP), the iPug® Trust is a uniquely customizable trust that protects assets while preserving a surprising degree of control. Whether you’re a client looking to secure your legacy, or an estate planning attorney looking for a next-level tool, here’s what you need to know. By utilizing state common law instead of the few complex state specific Domestic Asset Protection Laws, the iPug® protection trust simplifies planning for clients and provides extensive flexibility not typically associated with irrevocable trusts.
What Is the iPug® Protection Trust?
The iPug® (Irrevocable Pure Grantor) Trust is an innovative trust solution that allows individuals to shield assets from creditors, long-term care costs, and lawsuits—while still maintaining control over how those assets are managed and distributed.
Unlike traditional irrevocable trusts that require you to give up control entirely, the iPug® Trust lets you:
- Serve as trustee of your own trust
- Control and manage the trust assets
- Modify beneficiaries and other trust terms
- Retain income (if desired)
- Achieve Medicaid planning and tax advantages
It’s flexible, customizable, and powerfully protective, without locking clients out of their own plans.
Why Clients Love the iPug® Trust
- Keep control – Clients don’t have to “hand over the keys” to get asset protection.
- Immediate protection – Once assets are in, they’re protected.
- Flexible & personalized – Modify provisions, choose beneficiaries, and structure the trust for real-life needs.
- Simplified taxes – No new tax ID or returns; the trust is treated as part of the client’s own tax structure.
- Built-in long-term care & estate planning – Plan for Medicaid while preserving wealth for future generations.
- Protects IRA’s and other retirement accounts after death from your beneficiaries lawsuits, divorce, long-term care costs and other predatory challenges.
Three iPug® Trust Types Attorneys Should Know About
Tailored to meet different client goals, LWP offers three specialized versions of the iPug® Trust:
- MIT™ (My Income Trust) – Retain income, protect principal
- FIT® (Family Irrevocable Trust) – Protect both income and principal for long-term family use
- KIT® (Kids Irrevocable Trust) – The only trust allowing non-spouse co-grantors to plan together or independently
Each includes built-in features like post-death IRA protection sub-trusts, allowing clients to safeguard retirement assets for their heirs—even from divorce, creditors, or long-term care costs.
What Type Of Clients Should Consider an iPug® Trust?
- Individuals planning for long-term care costs
- Business owners and real estate investors with high-risk assets
- Blended families and second marriages
- Families with special needs beneficiaries
- Anyone who wants to protect assets without losing control
How Does the iPug® Trust Work?
Using LWP’s proprietary STEPS™ software, attorneys build custom iPug® Trusts based on client needs and preferences. Clients answer a series of planning questions to determine:
- What assets to protect
- What level of access they want to retain
- Who should benefit — and when
- How to prepare for Medicaid eligibility
Assets are then transferred to the trust, where they are immediately shielded. At the same time, clients retain the ability to manage, control, and update the trust in all areas except the access they’ve voluntarily given up.
You Clients Need the iPug® Trust: Susan & John’s Story
Susan and John, both in their 60s, were navigating a blended family and long-term care concerns. They wanted to protect their home and investments while ensuring they are able to provide for each other while assuring their separate children will benefit after they are both gone.
With the iPug® Trust, they:
- Retained control over their assets as trustees
- Protected their home from future nursing home spend-downs
- Created a secure plan for both children with personalized distributions
- Gained peace of mind—without giving up ownership or access
- Provided for each other while ensuring each half was ultimately protected from the survivor’s remarriage and benefit their separate children.
For Attorneys: Why the iPug® Trust Belongs in Your Toolbox
Offering the iPug® Trust positions your firm as a cutting-edge solution provider in estate planning. Here’s why attorneys love it:
- Customizable for nearly every client type
- Immediate protection = stronger value proposition
- Medicaid-compliant planning built right in
- One platform, multiple solutions (SNTs, marital deduction, SLATs, and more)
- Simplified drafting via STEPS™ software
- Differentiation from competitors offering cookie-cutter trusts
Getting Started with the iPug® Trust
If you’re an estate planning attorney: → Schedule your training with LWP and start using STEPS™ to design custom trusts with confidence.
The iPug® Protection Trust changes what’s possible in estate planning
It allows clients to protect what matters most, without giving up the ability to manage their lives and legacies. For attorneys, it’s a versatile, high-impact tool that increases client satisfaction and fuels firm growth.
Protection doesn’t have to come at the cost of control. With iPug®, you can have both.
