06/08/2026
Do you actually need a trust — or do you just think you do?
A conversation we have more often than you’d think.
We see it regularly. Someone comes in convinced they need a trust. Maybe a friend mentioned they have one. Maybe they read an article. Maybe a cousin knows a lawyer in another state who does general work and dropped the word into a conversation. And now they feel like they’re missing something.
Sometimes they’re right. Sometimes they’re not. But a lot of lawyers will simply take their money and draft one either way.
Trusts can be expensive — sometimes very expensive. We’ve seen clients come in with documents that cost them thousands of dollars. Impressive looking things: thick binders, tabs, professional packaging. One client told us their comprehensive estate plan — which included a trust — ran over twenty-five thousand dollars. The documents looked serious. But when we sat down and looked at what they actually had, they didn’t fully understand what it did, it didn’t work well with their other documents, or worse — they believed it solved a problem it didn’t actually solve. The attorney had already been paid. And in many cases, the client won’t find out it didn’t work until it’s too late to fix it.
A trust is a bucket — with a lot of rules attached
The way we think about a trust is simple: it’s a bucket where you put things. Assets go in, and the bucket comes with rules you set about how those assets are managed — while you’re alive, after you die, or both. That’s a lot of control, and in the right situation, it’s genuinely valuable.
There are revocable trusts — meaning you can change or cancel them at any time. And irrevocable trusts — meaning once it’s done, it’s done. There are trusts set up during your lifetime and trusts created through a will. Those are real distinctions with real consequences, and they matter depending on what you’re trying to accomplish.
But here’s the thing about tools: if someone hands you a hammer and asks you to drive screws into a wall, you’re going to look at them like they’re crazy. The wrong tool doesn’t just fail to help — it can make things worse.
It starts with the problem, not the tool
Before recommending a trust, we try to understand what problem someone actually needs to solve. Because the right answer depends entirely on the situation:
A child with special needs? There’s a specific trust designed to supplement their care without disqualifying them from benefits they’d otherwise receive for free.
A beneficiary with a gambling problem or poor financial judgment? There are tools to protect against that.
Minor children? That changes the conversation entirely.
Concerns about nursing home costs or asset protection? There are options — but timing and structure matter enormously.
We also spend time explaining probate honestly — because most lawyers who push trusts are really selling you on avoiding probate. But probate isn’t purely bad. Like most things in life, it has pros and cons. So does a trust. Our job isn’t to steer you toward the more expensive option. It’s to make sure you understand both so you can make the decision that actually fits your life.
When you come in, we’re going to ask questions and actually listen to the answers. If a trust makes sense for your situation, we’ll tell you why — and what kind, and what it will and won’t do. If it doesn’t make sense, we’ll tell you that too. You came in for help, not for a product.
Not sure whether a trust is right for you? Come in and talk. We’ll figure out what problem you’re actually trying to solve — and then find the right tool for it.
