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Both trusts and wills distribute your estate, but they work differently — and for solo agers without a family member to help navigate probate, the difference can matter more than average.

Wills

Simpler and cheaper to set up, but go through probate — a court process that validates the will and oversees distribution. Probate is public, can take months, and generally requires someone (an executor) to manage it, which for a solo ager means naming someone outside family to take on that role.

Revocable living trusts

Cost more upfront but avoid probate entirely for assets placed in the trust, keep your affairs private, and can be managed seamlessly by a successor trustee if you become incapacitated — not just after death. For solo agers, this last point is significant: a funded trust can provide continuity of financial management without a separate guardianship process.

A trust only works for assets actually retitled into it — a common mistake is creating a trust and never transferring accounts or property into it, leaving it empty and functionally useless.
This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Discuss whether a trust makes sense for your estate with an estate attorney.