[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by villageuser

I am going through trust issues with my parents’ estate. My dad passed away, and my mother needs money for her maintenance cost. I was the one who pushed them to get a trust. One always reads how they are better than wills because of the probate issues. Well, that may be the case, but they sure cause other issues. I have learned a lot, in dealing with their trusts They went with a highly reputable law firm. Plenty of boiler-plate legal-speak, where one would think everything had been covered, but what it did instead is muddy the waters, where it requires a lawyer to fix. Yes, it may be revocable, but it is expensive to change. Sometimes I wonder if this whole trust thing is just another marketing ploy to make lawyers more money. I still think my husband and I need to do a trust, but we have learned what we want included, and how we want certain things worded so as not to make the same nightmare for our children.

By the way, I believe that asking an estate lawyer the question of what you should do is the same thing as asking a surgeon whether you need surgery or not. You will get a different response from a surgeon vs a natural-path vs any other kind of doctor. Of course, they are going to recommend the option that gives the option from their preferred field of practice. Get opinions from people who have had to deal with the results of a trust versus a will.

You need a reason for a trust and I don't think it is to avoid probate. You need to have a reason you do not want your beneficiaries to directly control the assets.