Originally Posted by Blueblaze (Post 2446670)

Every lawyer will tell you you need a trust, but honestly, why would you want to complicate an uncomplicated estate? If you don't have a blended marriage with heirs strewn all over creation, or complicated business interests, I don't understand why everyone thinks they need a trust. Your plan of adding your kid to your deed is fine, it's just a minor complication if you sell, since you'll need his signature. A lady bird deed is better, but probably not worth messing with at this point.

Like you, the bulk of our estate passes directly to our kids equally, through beneficiary declarations. That gives them the money to immediately to handle the burial and household bills until probate settles and the house and personal property is sold. The will basically just covers the personal property, and there's not much of that to argue over, anyway. Nobody wants our china or wedding rings. They already have nicer vehicles. Why would we complicate things by throwing a bunch of household junk into a trust?