The documents at the core of every plan.

A will and a trust do different jobs. Without either, Arizona's intestacy statutes decide who inherits, who raises minor children, and how long everything takes. That default is almost never what a family would have chosen if they'd been asked.

A trust is the primary tool we use for most clients. It owns your assets while you are alive, passes them to your beneficiaries when you are gone, and avoids probate entirely. A will is the backup. It catches anything that was not retitled into the trust and names a guardian for minor children.

How a revocable living trust works

You create the trust, move your major assets into it (home, investment accounts, business interests), and keep total control. You can amend it, revoke it, move money in and out, buy and sell things in the trust's name. Nothing changes about how you use your property day to day.

When you pass away, the person you named as successor trustee steps in and distributes the trust assets to your beneficiaries according to your instructions. No court. No probate. No public filings. Most trust settlements wrap up in a few months rather than the six to twelve months an Arizona probate typically runs.

Why a pour-over will still matters

Even when a trust is fully funded, a pour-over will catches anything that was missed: a bank account opened after the plan was signed, a car titled in your name alone, a check you received on your last day. The will's job is to sweep those stragglers into the trust so your plan still controls them.

For families with minor children, the will is also where you name a guardian. That single provision is often the most emotionally important part of the plan.

Trust funding is half the work

A trust only works for the assets that are actually titled in its name. Signing the document is the first half. Retitling your home, updating beneficiary designations, and coordinating your accounts is the second half. We handle the deed transfer for your primary residence as part of every core package, and we offer a done-for-you trust funding service for clients who want us to coordinate the rest.

If the funding step is skipped (which is common with do-it-yourself and many online providers), the trust does nothing. Your estate still ends up in probate, just with the extra cost of the unused document.

When a simple will is enough

Not every situation needs a trust. If you rent, have modest savings, and your beneficiary designations already cover your retirement and insurance accounts, a basic will might be all you need. We will tell you honestly in the consultation whether a trust adds enough value to justify the cost.

That said, for any Arizona homeowner, a trust almost always pays for itself in saved probate costs, reduced family stress, and privacy.