It's complex, in that it has a lot of steps. Checklists help, so you don't forget anything. My main rule has been to just read the will and trust, and do what it says. Fortunately, in all cases, there have been pretty complete documents written by lawyers so a lay person could understand them.
Unfortunately, in all cases, the surviving spouse has done things that did not follow what was in the trust. I see my job as ignoring that and doing what is fair in terms of the original intent of the trust. Nobody has sued so far, so I guess the beneficiaries are happy with the result. Helps that I don't pay myself, which is no big deal because I have always been one of the beneficiaries.
Not so much for the other beneficiaries. I actually had one who "cleaned" (aka "looted") his dead sister's house including tossing her will in the trash before her lawyer got there! Fortunately the lawyer found it in the trash can.
