If you’ve already set up a trust, you might feel confident that your family and assets are protected. After all, attorneys recommend them all the time but usually in the form of a living (revocable) trust. But here’s the problem: those trusts often don’t do what you think they do.

The trust as a bucket

Think of a trust like a bucket. You can convey (place) assets into that bucket for safekeeping.

• With a revocable trust, you’ve left your hand in the bucket. You can reach back in, remove assets, or change terms. That flexibility might feel secure, but it destroys privacy. If you still own it, you’re still liable for it. These trusts are usually registered with the state, searchable in public records, and leave beneficiaries exposed to probate.
• With an irrevocable trust, you’ve taken your hand out of the bucket. You’ve given up legal ownership, but you still retain control by directing how the assets are managed and where they go. Because you no longer own the assets, they’re shielded from liability, creditors, and unnecessary exposure. This is the foundation of real privacy.

Statutory vs. private trusts

Most people don’t realize that the trusts they set up with attorneys are statutory trusts. They are drafted under state law, registered in the system, and designed to be revocable. The paperwork gets dropped in your lap, but rarely do you get guidance on how to administer it, or how it interfaces with the public.

We’ve reviewed countless of these “cookie-cutter” trusts, and more often than not, they lack proper structure. Critical roles like settlor, trustee, and beneficiary relationships are blurred or misaligned. The result? A trust that doesn’t actually protect what it’s supposed to.

Why privacy should be final

Bitcoiners already understand this principle: privacy should mean finality. When you move Bitcoin into cold storage, it’s yours, untouchable. There’s no halfway measure.

Trusts should work the same way. Yet revocable and statutory trusts leave holes. The moment you reserve the right to keep your hand in the bucket, is the moment you keep yourself tied to liability and exposure.

Our approach at Orange Effect is different.

• We settle trusts privately, outside the statutory system.
• We structure them irrevocably, so your privacy and protection are final.
• We teach you administration, so you’re never left holding documents you don’t understand.

Bottom line

A revocable trust gives the illusion of safety but keeps you tethered to liability. An irrevocable, private trust ensures assets are protected, beneficiaries are shielded, and privacy is real, not just on paper.

The bucket analogy makes it simple: Do you want your hand still in the bucket, or do you want your assets truly secure?

If you’ve already set up a trust but aren’t sure it’s built for privacy, we’d be glad to take a look.

The Orange Effect Team