Do I Need a Trust?

A revocable living trust is a legal document that holds your assets during your lifetime and distributes them to beneficiaries after death without going through probate. You maintain full control as the trustee and can modify or revoke the trust at any time. SimplyTrust includes a revocable trust, pour-over will, healthcare proxy, and financial power of attorney starting at $12/month.

There is no universal net worth threshold. The answer depends on your state's probate costs and small estate limits. In states with expensive probate (like California or Florida), a trust makes financial sense for estates as low as $100,000-$200,000. In states with cheaper probate, the threshold may be higher.

A will and a trust serve different purposes. A will must go through probate, which is public and can take 6-18 months. A trust avoids probate entirely. Many families use both: a trust for major assets and a pour-over will as a safety net for anything not transferred to the trust. Use our Trust vs. Will comparison tool to see which is right for your situation.

Real estate is one of the strongest reasons to create a trust. Without a trust, your home must go through probate to transfer ownership. If you own property in multiple states, your heirs may face probate in each state. A trust avoids this entirely.

With SimplyTrust, a revocable living trust costs $12/month for individuals or $17/month for married couples. That includes the trust, pour-over will, healthcare proxy, and financial power of attorney. Probate, by comparison, costs 3-8% of the estate value in attorney fees, executor fees, and court costs. On a $500,000 estate, that can be $15,000-$40,000 your heirs pay out of pocket. Use our Trust Cost Calculator and Probate Cost Calculator to compare costs for your estate.

Yes, a "pour-over will" works alongside your trust to catch any assets not transferred into the trust before death. Without one, those assets go through probate and distribute according to your state's intestacy laws instead of your wishes. Most trust packages include a pour-over will for this reason. You can create a free Pour-Over Will with our document builder.

Yes. SimplyTrust creates a revocable living trust that meets your state's execution requirements for $12/month (individual) or $17/month (married). Your subscription includes unlimited updates for life events like marriage, divorce, or having children. The key is ensuring the trust is properly funded (assets are retitled into the trust name) after creation.