How Do I Go About Forming a Trust?

How to create a trust
Question:
How do I go about forming a trust?
Response:
There are really two ways to form a trust: Do it yourself with an on-line program or hire an attorney.
The advantage of an on-line program is its lower cost and efficiency. You can do the work on-line from your own home at any time of the night and day. There are a number of good on-line services with good forms available. These include:
https://store.nolo.com/products/wills-trusts
https://www.legalzoom.com/personal/estate-planning/living-trust-overview.html
The disadvantage of the on-line programs is that they don’t answer your questions directly (though they do provide explanations and answers to common questions) and don’t tailor the estate plan directly to your goals. An attorney would do both for you. Also, they may help you get the trust done. My guess is that often people who start with the on-line programs come to questions they can’t answer immediately and get bogged down.
If you have questions about trusts, check out my book, The Baby Boomers Guide to Trusts. Or post your questions here and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Don’t know how your trust works?
Whether you’re creating a plan, managing a trust, or are a beneficiary of a trust, this book is your easy-to-read roadmap.