Moore v. Jones

PARKER, Judge.

In this State a valid trust may be created even though the settlor retains both a life estate and the power to revoke or modify the trust. Moreover, the coupling of. such retained rights and powers in an otherwise valid inter vivos trust will not invalidate the trust as an attempted testamentary disposition when, as here, the trust instrument was not executed in the manner required for execution of a valid will. Ridge v. Bright, 244 N.C. 345, 93 S.E. 2d 607 (1956). Here, there was a written trust agreement signed and acknowledged both by the settlor and the trustee. This…