Probate avoidance is a good reason to create a trust, but suppose avoiding probate is not a concern to you? Even if you are able to avoid probate using one of the methods described in chapter 2 of this book, a trust may be necessary for other reasons due to your family circumstances.
1. Minor Children
If you have no trust but have minor children, at the death of the parents any sizeable inheritance going to the children will be managed by a court-appointed conservator and the balance turned over to the child upon attaining the age of majority, usually age eighteen. This is not a result most parents hope for. A trust, on the other hand, would allow you to put a person of your choice in charge of the money without courts, and would allow you to specify at what age and under what conditions the money would ultimately be given to the child.
