State law decides
Without a valid will, a state’s intestacy rules generally determine who inherits. Those rules may not match your relationships or intentions.
Estate planning, made clearer
A clearer way to begin planning for the people you love
Learn the essentials, understand the questions worth asking, and connect with an estate-planning professional when you are ready.
WillsGive clear directions.TrustsSet terms for stewardship.Estate planningSee the whole picture.Find an attorneyGet guidance near you.
Start with these questions
- Who should receive your property—and who should receive it if they cannot?
- Who do you trust to handle money, paperwork, and decisions?
- What needs special care: children, a home, a business, pets, or a loved one with disabilities?
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The foundation
A will and a trust solve different problems.
For many plans, the question is not “will or trust?” A well-considered plan can use a will as a safety net and a trust where ongoing management, privacy, or a more tailored distribution plan is useful.
Wills
Give clear directions.
Name an executor, nominate guardians for minor children, and direct probate assets to the people or causes you choose.
Read the will guide →
Trusts
Set terms for stewardship.
A trust can hold property for beneficiaries and spell out how a trustee manages or distributes it under the terms you establish.
Read the trust guide →
Estate planning
See the whole picture.
Bring your will, trust, powers of attorney, health-care wishes, and other decisions into one coordinated plan.
Use the planning checklist →
A coordinated conversation
Bring the right advisers into the room.
Legal, tax, insurance, and financial considerations can overlap. A qualified attorney can help determine when other professionals should be part of the planning process.
Planning for people
Your estate plan is about the people who count on you.
A thoughtful plan can help you name the people you trust, care for different generations, and leave clearer instructions during an already difficult time.
How Wills.com helps
A better planning conversation starts here.
- 01
Learn the essentials
Start with plain-language guides to the documents and decisions that may be relevant to you.
- 02
Find the right conversation
Search for an estate-planning attorney near you when you are ready for guidance about your circumstances.
- 03
Prepare with confidence
Gather questions, people, and information so you can make the most of your next planning conversation.
Wills.com journal
Helpful guides for the questions ahead.
Explore practical, attorney-informed topics designed to make your next step easier to understand.
Guide
How a will fits into a plan
Start with the role a will can play when documenting directions and naming key people.
Explore the topic →Guide
Questions to ask about trusts
Understand the decisions that may matter when property needs stewardship over time.
Explore the topic →Guide
Preparing for an attorney meeting
Bring the right people, documents, and questions into the conversation.
Explore the topic →For attorneys and firms
Share useful guidance with people who are ready to plan.
We are building an editorial home for attorney-reviewed articles and practical explanations. Help readers understand the questions to ask before they seek legal advice.
Why planning matters
When there is no plan, there is still a process.
The difference is that more of the important choices may be made by default rules, a court, or the practical limits facing the people left behind.
No guardian nomination
A court may need to decide who will care for minor children if no legally effective nomination is in place.
More pressure on loved ones
Family members may need to locate records, open an estate, satisfy creditors, and make difficult choices with less direction.
Assets can pass differently
Joint ownership, beneficiary designations, and trust-owned property may pass outside a will—sometimes with results that surprise families.
Inheritance, probate, guardianship, creditor, tax, and trust rules differ by state and circumstances. A qualified attorney can explain how the rules apply to you.