Pennsylvania probate is not the worst in the country, but it is public, slow, and expensive enough that most clients with real estate, a business, or out-of-state property prefer to skip it.
How a revocable trust works in Pennsylvania
You create the trust during your lifetime and serve as your own trustee. You transfer (or 'fund') your major assets into the trust — real estate, brokerage accounts, business interests. You keep complete control. You can amend or revoke at any time.
When you become incapacitated, your named successor trustee steps in without a court guardianship. When you die, the successor trustee distributes the assets according to your instructions — no probate, no Register of Wills filing, no public inventory.
Living trust vs. will in Pennsylvania
A will operates only after death and only after probate. A trust operates during life, during incapacity, and after death — without probate. Most plans use both: the trust holds the major assets, and a 'pour-over will' catches anything left outside the trust.
Funding the trust is everything
An unfunded trust is a $3,000 paperweight. We re-deed real estate, retitle accounts, and coordinate beneficiary designations as part of every trust engagement. This is the step most DIY trusts skip — and the reason they fail.