Trust & Will Review

About Trust & Will

Trust & Will is a company that helps you create and manage your estate plan online. They offer affordable estate plans, which you can complete in 20 minutes or less.

When you choose a plan, you’ll answer some simple questions to help customize it for your needs. You can instantly download your documents or have them shipped to your home to sign them once you’re done. Their services are meant to be simple, affordable, and inclusive.

Trust & Will Products

The company offers two types of estate plans: trust- and will-based estate plans. I found choosing the right Trust & Will plan to be effortless: They have a “Get Started” quiz to match individuals to the appropriate plan.

Trust & Will products

In the quiz, you can select the categories that fit your situation and immediately get a recommendation for a plan. While the idea of choosing a plan can feel intimidating, having help deciding on the right plan is a huge plus.

Trust & Will quiz

Trust-Based Estate Plan

The trust-based estate plan allows you to pass your assets with specific instructions to loved ones and manage your affairs upon your passing. It covers arrangements such as who will handle your affairs, how your assets are passed on, and what happens in a medical emergency.

This plan also lets you avoid probate court, which is a legal procedure where a court manages how your assets are distributed once you pass. The plan will help provide more ease for your loved ones when you pass on your assets.

With this plan, you can create five documents:

• Revocable living trust: Decides how your assets are handled and distributed while you are living and upon your passing.
• Schedule of assets: A list of assets to be held in your trust. You can continue to update this list after setting up the trust.
• Last will and testament: Specifies your wishes for final arrangements.
• HIPAA authorization: Keeps your personal health information from being revealed to unauthorized parties.
• Living will: Contains your wishes for medical treatment in the event you are unable to make those decisions for yourself.

The trust-based plan is best for individuals who own more than one property and have more than $160,000 in assets. Plus, the revocable living trust gives you more control over how your assets can reach your beneficiaries.

Will-Based Estate Plan

The will-based estate plan is nearly identical to the trust-based estate plan, except it excludes the documents that establish a trust.

With this plan, you can create three documents:

• Last will and testament
• HIPAA authorization
• Living will

This plan is best for individuals who own one property and have less than $160,000 in assets. It’s a great way to cover all the bases when putting together your will to ensure that your final wishes are carried out.

Trust & Will Pricing

Customer Support

For all plans, Trust & Will offers unlimited customer service. Its customer support team is available seven days a week to answer any questions. You can reach them by calling the number provided, or by clicking the chat icon on the bottom left-hand corner of the website to message a customer representative.

I called their customer service number multiple times but wasn’t able to get a representative on the line. However, I found it helpful to message a representative through Trust & Will’s customer service chat. Ashley, the representative who helped me, was friendly and attentive. She answered all my questions thoroughly and could even switch my plan if needed. If you’re a technology-savvy senior, it’ll be easier to get the help you need through their customer service chatbox.

If you need help from an attorney, the company also offers attorney support as an add-on with all of its estate plans. This gives you access to a licensed estate planning attorney to answer any questions that come up as you complete your documents. The service offers unlimited phone access to an attorney for a year and helps you get advice tailored to your estate.

How to Create Trust & Will Documents

Trust & Will makes it easy to create the documents for your estate plan, especially since their site is helpful and user-friendly. In my experience, creating documents for an estate plan was really quick and straightforward. As long as you have your information on hand, you can complete your documents fairly quickly. Here’s how to get started:

1. Click on the “Products” tab at the top of the home page.
2. Select your chosen estate plan.
3. Answer the questions provided to create your plan.
4. Review your documents to make sure everything is correct.
5. Print the documents or ship them to your home.
6. Sign the documents to make them legally binding.

Once you complete your documents, you can keep making changes as needed by accessing your Trust & Will account. Another perk: shipping documents straight to your door is free. You’ll be able to update your documents as part of your plan for up to a year, so no sweat if you make a mistake the first time around.

Getting started with the basics

Comparing Trust & Will to the Competition

Let’s take a look at how Trust & Will compares to other companies in the industry.

LegalZoom

While Trust & Will and LegalZoom offer similar services for estate planning, the trust estate plan through LegalZoom is significantly cheaper. However, Trust & Will covers more bases in terms of documents. LegalZoom doesn’t offer HIPAA authorization, which addresses what happens in the event of a medical emergency.

Also, Trust & Will offers help from an attorney for a fee after you’ve completed your documents. LegalZoom gives you that same option while you complete your documents. In cases where your affairs are complex, LegalZoom has a leg up in the customer support department.

Overall, it’s a close call. Trust & Will offers a simpler user experience, which makes it much more senior-friendly. While the services are nearly the same, Trust & Will takes the cake this time.

Rocket Lawyer

Trust & Will offers a comprehensive estate plan, while Rocket Lawyer offers a membership subscription for $39.99 per month. With the subscription, you can create a trust or will and have the guidance of an attorney as you complete your documents.

The main difference is that Rocket Lawyer is suited for those who want detailed advice. Trust & Will is better for those whose assets and affairs are much simpler. I’d recommend Rocket Lawyer if you have lots of real estate and assets, or have a complicated situation that requires more detailed instruction.

In this case, choosing between Trust & Will and Rocket Lawyer is a matter of preference. I’d still recommend Trust & Will for its simple user experience, as Rocket Lawyer can be a little difficult to navigate.