A trust as backstop, not shield — with an optional fix
New Hampshire's standout feature: under the New Hampshire Trust Code, RSA 564-B:5-505(b), a revocable trust's assets remain reachable by the settlor's creditors after death, but only to the extent the probate estate is inadequate to pay those claims — the trust fills a gap, it doesn't build a wall. New Hampshire does give a trustee a genuine tool the estate administrator doesn't have: under § 564-B:5-508, the trustee may (not must) send notice to known creditors, or publish notice for unknown ones, cutting the claim window to just 1 year from that notice. Skip the notice, and the default is New Hampshire's general 3-year statute of limitations instead — a genuinely optional, trustee-controlled choice with real consequences either way.
The probate side of this comparison reuses the same approach as the New Hampshire Probate Cost Calculator: reasonable compensation under Circuit Court Probate Division Rule 88 — a court rule, not a statute — for both the administrator and the attorney, with no fixed percentage for either. Reported fees often land in a rough 2–4% market range for each. The trust side is also market data: New Hampshire attorneys typically charge roughly $1,500–$3,000 for a basic revocable living trust, with a fuller plan running up to $4,000. See the full breakdown in New Hampshire Living Trust Setup Cost.