I was reminded of the saying "when you are holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail". In my state (WI), I went to see my fathers accountant for his business. Just seems to be real level headed, easy to understand, and very no-nonsense. To begin, do not treat your estate as a whole. First consider each item separately.
Do you have a retirement account. Make sure your beneficiary info is accurate. In my state, a retirement account with a valid beneficiary form avoids all other death items like probate, a will, a trust, etc. Non of that matters, and the funds will be divided to the beneficiaries upon death. If that is 1/3 of your net worth, you are 1/3 done with your estate plan.
Have a home? In WI, I can file a transfer-on-death deed to transfer ownership upon death. There are rules to do it correctly.
Same with my bank accounts and vehicles. Like a beneficiary designation of a retirement account, these items would never enter probate, a trust, a will, etc.
So now my retirement accounts, bank accounts, automobiles, and all land are handled. Do I need a trust for the rest? How about a will? It is certainly a different conversation when talking about $25,000 worth of crap vs. a multi-million dollar estate. When making your decisions, make sure you have an accurate picture of what you are dealing with.
Minor children add a whole other mix and varies by state.