Do I need a living trust?

Six quick questions. See whether a will, a living trust or an attorney fits your family.

How the quiz decides

The quiz looks for the situations where estate planning attorneys most often recommend a revocable living trust. It is a starting point, not legal advice: your state’s rules and your family’s details can change the answer.

When a living trust tends to fit

  • You own real estate, especially in more than one state. A home in your name alone usually has to go through probate, and property in another state can mean a second probate case there.
  • You have minor children. A trust can hold their inheritance and release it at the ages you choose.
  • You have a blended family. A trust spells out who receives what, and when, which reduces the room for disputes.
  • You value privacy. Probate files are generally public, while a funded trust usually is not.
  • Your estate is sizable. The larger the estate, the more probate costs and delays tend to matter.

When a will may be enough for now

If you rent, have modest savings and a simple family, a will plus beneficiary designations often covers the basics. Retirement accounts and life insurance pass to the beneficiaries you name, bank accounts can carry a payable-on-death designation, and many states offer a simplified small estate procedure below a set dollar limit.

When to see an attorney

Some situations need drafting that an online form cannot provide: a child or adult with special needs who receives government benefits, a business you want to pass on, significant rental property, or an estate large enough to face estate tax. An estate planning attorney licensed in your state can build the plan around them. The quiz does not ask about estate tax, so if your estate is near $15 million or your state has its own estate tax, talk to an attorney whatever your result.

What each result means

A will may cover you

Your property mostly passes by beneficiary designation or is small enough for a simple procedure. Make a will, name guardians if you have children, and check your beneficiaries. Read will vs living trust.

A living trust likely fits

You own a home or have family reasons to control who inherits and when. Compare what a trust costs online and with an attorney, then plan how to fund it.

Talk to an attorney

A special-needs beneficiary, a business or complex assets call for advice an online form cannot give. An estate planning attorney can draft a plan around them.

What the quiz does not cover

  • Estate and inheritance taxes. The federal estate tax only applies above $15 million per person in 2026, but some states tax much smaller estates. See estate tax by state.
  • Long-term care and Medicaid. Protecting assets from care costs uses different tools; see an elder law attorney.
  • Your state’s details. Probate costs, small estate limits and whether transfer-on-death deeds are allowed all vary by state.
  • Plans you already have. If you already have a will or trust, review it after any marriage, divorce, birth, death or move.

After the quiz: next steps

  1. List what you own and how each asset is titled today.
  2. Check your beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance, and name backups.
  3. Choose how to make your documents: compare online services with hiring an attorney.
  4. Sign your documents following your state’s rules, and fund your trust if you make one.
  5. Review your plan every few years and after major life events.

Already know you want a trust?

See what it costs to set one up online or with an attorney.

Compare living trust costs

Questions about the quiz

Do you store my answers?

No. The quiz runs in your browser and your answers are not sent to us or saved. Our analytics only records that the quiz was started and finished, which of the three results was shown and which button you clicked next.

Is a living trust only for wealthy families?

No. The main reasons for a trust are owning a home, wanting to skip probate and planning for incapacity. Those apply to many middle-income families.

If I set up a living trust, do I still need a will?

Yes. A pour-over will catches anything left outside the trust and is where you name guardians for minor children.

Sources

Edited by Erik Bobbink, CFA · Last reviewed October 2026

This quiz provides general information, not legal advice. It does not consider every factor that matters under your state’s law. For advice on your situation, talk to an attorney licensed in your state.