People around the country were saddened to hear of the death of Whitney Houston. The pop star passed away last week in a California hotel on the eve of the Grammy Awards. Known for her powerful mezzo-soprano voice and her model-like good looks, Houston earned a great deal of money during her lifetime. But her death has raised questions about how much of that wealth remains, who stands to inherit it, and what kinds of estate planning mechanisms, such as a trust, she had in place.

In addition to her long music career, Houston also starred in a handful of notable films. She made millions from the movies, including an estimated $10 million from 1996's "The Preacher's Wife." She also signed a $100 million record contract in 2001. Experts estimate that her death will boost sales of her music, in the way, though to a lesser extent, that Michael Jackson's death brought in millions of dollars to his estate. Merchants have already seen a spike in purchases of her albums and songs.

Reports indicate that Houston's 18-year-old daughter will be the primary beneficiary of her mother's estate. Houston died with a will, but its details have not been made public, and it is unknown if Houston had used other tools, such as a trust, in her estate plan. She may have wanted to pass her wealth on to her daughter through a trust because she could have controlled how much money her daughter received at a time. If she had a life insurance policy, she could also have designated the trust as the policy's beneficiary instead of having the proceeds go directly to her daughter.

Trusts have many other benefits besides ensuring that a potentially financially inexperienced beneficiary does not get all the money at once. Trusts can also protect assets, reduce taxes and avoid the expense of probate.

Source: ABCNews.com, "Whitney Houston's Estate Expected to Get Boost After Death, But Less Than Michael Jackson," Susanna Kim, Feb. 14, 2012.