Saving & Spending Taxes

Trust & Will Review [2024]: Is Estate Planning Online a Legit Option?

Planning your estate online can be less stressful and more affordable when using a program like Trust & Will.

By Samantha Hawrylack

Edited by Mindy Woodall

Updated July 25, 2024

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Trust & Will

OUR VIEW

Thinking about the end of your life probably isn’t something you willingly ponder, but it’s important to plan for the unexpected. Before finding Trust & Will, I assumed I had to pay the big bucks to hire an estate attorney to create my will and trust. It wasn’t something I was looking forward to doing, but then I found Trust & Will and realized there are many programs that offer this service online.

To me, it’s a much more comfortable process, working on a will and trust on my own time in the comfort of my own home. While I wouldn’t tell someone not to seek the opinion of an attorney, Trust & Will offers a nice compromise.

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Pros

Simple and easy process for creating an online will and/or trust

Low cost compared to typical attorney fees

Option to add annual attorney support

Cons

Might not make sense for complex situations or special cases

Requires you to find a local notary to make the documents official

You must be comfortable entering information yourself regarding your estate

How we evaluate products

Trust & Will is a guided online platform to help you create and maintain your estate plan. The tools Trust & Will includes were created by attorneys and are 100% customizable for each person. You can create a will or trust yourself or get one-on-one support from one of their attorneys if you have questions along the way.

What impresses me about the product is how simple they make the process, even for someone who has never created an estate plan. It’s not easy to think about the end of your life and how your loved ones will handle your assets, but Will & Trust makes the process less overwhelming with a step-by-step process and unlimited chat options to answer all your questions.

How does Trust & Will estate planning work?

Trust & Will provides three estate planning services:

Set up a trust
Write a will
Probate support

What is the probate process?

The probate process is when the court selects a personal representative on behalf of someone who has died. The representative is responsible for settling the deceased person’s estate.

If you’re wondering about the difference between a trust vs. will, check out their Trust or Will Quiz to determine your next steps. After answering a few simple questions about your life and financial situation, it will present you with the best options: will, trust, or both.

Regardless of which services you choose, Trust & Will makes it pretty easy to get started. If you’ve ever used tax software to prepare and file your taxes, you’ll find this program similar. I like to call it hand-holding, as it asks very simple questions that you answer, and the program plugs the information in where necessary to create your legal forms.

If you need probate support services, you must set up a consultation with a Trust & Will representative to get more information. The consultation is free and takes only a few seconds to set up. The most important part of the process is ensuring your location so Trust & Will can connect you with a licensed attorney in your state.

How much does it cost?

	Trust	Will
Cost (one-time)	Individual: $499 Couple: $599	Individual: $199 Couple: $299
Membership (optional)	First year free, then $39/year	First year free, then $19/year
Customer support	Included	Included
Attorney support (optional)	$300/year	$300/year
Included documents	Revocable living trust Schedule of assets Last will and testament (pour-over will) HIPAA authorization Living will Power of attorney Certification of trust	Last will and testament HIPAA authorization Living will Power of attorney
Benefits	Nominate child guardians Nominate pet guardians Decide who will handle your affairs Leave specific gifts Exclude people from your property Specify final arrangements Note special requests List health care wishes Designate health care agents Grant access to medical records Add conditions to distributions Avoid probate court	Nominate child guardians Nominate pet guardians Decide who will handle your affairs Leave specific gifts Determine how your assets will be distributed Exclude people from your property Specify final arrangements Note special requests List health care wishes Designate health care agents Grant access to medical records

Both the will and trust plan include customer service seven days a week and free membership for the first year. After the first year, you must pay to continue your membership.

Do you need to pay for a membership?

Having a membership lets you update your end-of-life plan. Even if you don’t intend to change it, life changes fast. Having unlimited updates could be helpful if you move or need to update information or decisions regarding your dependents or family members.

Note that you can add attorney support to either Trust & Will plan at a rate of $300 per year. This add-on lets you speak with a licensed estate-planning attorney to receive expert legal advice about any questions you might have regarding your plan.

Is Trust & Will legit?

Who you use to create your will and trust is a big decision as it affects how your assets are handled when you die. Only trusting legitimate companies or people to help you ensures the documents are legal and binding upon your death.

When determining if a company is legit, I always turn to the Better Business Bureau, who gave Trust & Will an A+ rating. The company also has a 4.6 out of 5 star rating on TrustPilot with most customers stating it made a complicated process much easier.

Alternatives to Trust & Will

Trust & Will isn’t the only online estate planning option. Some popular competitors to Trust & Will include LegalZoom and Quicken WillMaker & Trust by Nolo.

	Trust & Will	LegalZoom	Quicken WillMaker & Trust by Nolo
Starting price for a will	$199	$149	$99
Available plans	Will Trust Probate	Will Trust Estate plan bundle Last will and testament Living trust Living will Financial power of attorney	Starter (will) Plus (will and trust) All Access (will and trust)
Pros	It’s easy to create an online will or trust directly on the Trust & Will website.	It offers many customizable options. For example, you can pay for only a financial power of attorney document if that’s all you need.	Has three different plan options you can choose from depending on what you need.
Cons	Not as many customizable options as some other estate planning services	Automatically includes attorney support (an extra cost) in its estate plan bundles	The program requires installation. You cannot complete the forms online, so you need a device that meets the system requirements.

Some companies have lower starting prices than Trust & Will, but their low-cost options also include fewer features compared to Trust & Will.

For example, $99 at Quicken WillMaker & Trust gets you a last will and testament. But for $199 you can choose either Trust & Will or LegalZoom to get a last will and testament, HIPAA authorization, a living will, and power of attorney.

While I always compare the prices of different programs, I encourage you to look closely at what each program offers and compare it to your needs. There’s no reason to pay for something you don’t need, but you also shouldn’t overpay for a product you can get elsewhere.

For example, LegalZoom and Quicken WillMaker & Trust offer more customizable options, whereas Trust & Will offers a single option for a will or trust. If customization is important to you, one of the alternatives may be better.

FAQ

Is a will stronger than a trust?

A will is usually a simpler document than a trust, and might not hold up in court, depending on your situation. A will usually forces your estate into probate, which can delay the distribution of your assets.

Trusts are often more complicated than wills, but you have more control over asset distribution to beneficiaries, and you may be able to completely skip the probate process.

Are online wills a good idea?

If you have a complicated situation, an online will may not be sufficient. If you have room in your budget, consider seeking the advice of a reputable attorney to ensure the choice you make covers all the bases and protects your assets and loved ones.

Why does Trust & Will charge an annual fee?

You aren’t required to pay the Trust & Will annual fee. The first year is included in the plan price, but if you need to make updates, the annual fee is well worth it. Since most situations change whether you anticipate them or not, it’s important to be able to make immediate changes to your documents and ensure their legitimacy.

Bottom line

Trust & Will is an easy and user-friendly way to go through the estate planning process online. Compared to the estate planning attorney fees you could face at a lawyer’s office, Trust & Will is an affordable option.

I don’t think online estate planning services are foolproof substitutes for experienced estate planning professionals, but options like Trust & Will tend to work best for straightforward financial situations, and especially for people with budgetary constraints.