Everyone has New Year’s resolutions. Some want to lose 20 pounds. Some want to take that class at the community college they’ve been talking about for years. Some want to finish the list of home repairs that have been hanging on the fridge for months. Whatever the resolution, this year it will get done. For domestic partners, one of the highest rated but least completed tasks is getting their legal and financial affairs in order.

In the midst of a Democratic electoral landslide, the LGBT community was delivered four crushing defeats in the form of state ballot initiatives. Specifically, the cause of gay marriage was set back by constitutional bans in Arizona, Florida and California, and the cause of families in general was set back in Arkansas by banning unmarried foster are and adoption. Despite the constitutional setbacks, all of the same private, legal solutions to achieve most marriage rights are still open to domestic partners.

While the term “funding” seems to apply more to bank bailouts and wars, it also applies to making sure all of your assets are set up to properly work with your revocable living trust. One of the prime selling points of revocable living trusts is that all assets for both partners (or any other couple) avoid the costly and time-consuming probate court process. But in order for a revocable living trust to avoid probate, all land, accounts, and other assets are either owned directly by the trust or have the “transfer upon death” or “pay upon death” designations list the trust as a beneficiary. Not all assets are handled the same way, but they must be handled properly.