Guides
Grouped by the question you came with. Each one opens with the answer for your situation, then shows where every number comes from.
43 guides publishedWhich one should I pick?
- DecisionNeed a will fast? Before surgery or a trip, here is what you can get done in a dayHow to make and sign a valid will, health care directive and power of attorney in a day or two: the fastest services, finding witnesses and a notary.Dec 2, 2026
- DecisionPower of attorney and health care directive online: free options, paid packages, and how to sign themWhere to make a financial power of attorney and health care directive online, which are free, which packages include them, and how they must be signed.Dec 2, 2026
- DecisionBest online estate plan if you are over 60: incapacity first, then probateWhat an estate plan must do after 60, which online services cover incapacity documents and trusts best, signing at home, and when to see an elder law attorney.Dec 1, 2026
- DecisionOnline living trust in Florida: the signing rule most people miss, and the homestead catchFlorida's trust signing rules, homestead limits and summary administration threshold from the statutes, and which online trust fits a Florida household.Dec 1, 2026
- DecisionMaking a will online in New York: the signing ceremony, the 30-day rule, and when a trust helpsNew York's will execution rules from the statute, its small-estate limit, how trusts and transfer-on-death deeds must be signed, and which online service fits.Dec 1, 2026
- DecisionOnline living trust in California: why Californians use them, and which service to chooseCalifornia probate's timeline and fees, the small-estate and home limits from the state's own court pages, and which online trust fits a California household.Nov 30, 2026
- DecisionRocket Lawyer alternatives for a one-time will: no trial, no membershipIf you want a will without Rocket Lawyer's membership and trial, these services sell it once. Prices, what each includes, and when Rocket Lawyer still wins.Nov 30, 2026
- DecisionTrust & Will alternatives: cheaper, joint trusts, a lawyer, or nothing renewingWhat to use instead of Trust & Will for each reason to switch: price, the membership, a joint trust, attorney access or Louisiana, with like-for-like prices.Nov 30, 2026
- DecisionEstate planning software you buy once: what you actually own, and for how longWhich will and trust products you can buy once and keep using, the difference between download and online versions, and what you lose when free updates end.Nov 28, 2026
- DecisionOnline wills with attorney review: what each service's lawyer actually does, and what it costsWritten questions, phone calls, document review or a lawyer drafting your plan: what LegalZoom, Trust & Will and Rocket Lawyer include, and their prices.Nov 27, 2026
- DecisionBlended families: when an online will works, and when to see a lawyerWhy second marriages and stepchildren break simple wills, which online setups still work, which need an attorney, and what each option costs.Nov 26, 2026
- DecisionOnline wills with no annual fee or subscription: what you can buy once and forgetWhich online will and trust plans are a single payment, which tiers quietly add a renewing plan, and how to check out without signing up for anything.Nov 26, 2026
- DecisionHow to avoid probate online: trust, beneficiary designations, or bothEvery tool for keeping assets out of probate, which ones are free, when a living trust is worth paying for, and the order to do them in.Nov 25, 2026
- DecisionWill or living trust: which one do you actually need, and what each costs onlineA plain test for whether a will is enough or a living trust is worth it, based on what you own and where, with online prices for each route.Nov 25, 2026
- DecisionOnline living trusts that help you fund them: who moves the house in, and what it costsWhich online trust services will retitle your house into the trust, what they charge, what they leave to you, and when a local title company is the better deal.Nov 24, 2026
- DecisionBest online will for married couples: what two people actually pay, and joint or separateCouple prices compared across online will and trust services, why no service makes a joint will, joint or separate trusts, and what changes if you divorce.Nov 20, 2026
- DecisionBest online will for parents of young children: guardians, money for the kids, and what to buyWhat parents of young children need in a will, how each online service handles guardians and money left to children, and which plan to buy for your family.Nov 20, 2026
- DecisionThe cheapest online will that is actually completeThe cheapest way to get a will, health care directive and power of attorney online, why low sticker prices are often incomplete, and costs that come later.Nov 20, 2026
- DecisionBest online living trust services: prices, couples, and who helps you fund itOnline living trusts compared on price for one person and couples, what each includes, joint or separate trusts, help funding the trust, and state limits.Nov 19, 2026
- DecisionBest online will makers: eight services ranked, with who each one is forEight online will services in a fixed order by how established they are, with each one's real price, what renews, who it suits and who should skip it.Nov 19, 2026
- DecisionLegalZoom alternatives: cheaper, no renewals, or more time to change your mindThe best LegalZoom alternatives by reason: a cheaper complete will, a cheaper trust, no auto-renewing attorney plan, a longer refund window, or a free will.Nov 19, 2026
- DecisionFreeWill alternatives: when the free will is not enough, and what to use insteadFreeWill is free and often enough. What it does not do (a trust outside California, attorney help, signing and funding help) and the best paid option for each.Nov 18, 2026
Something is not working
- Problem solvedThe unfunded trust: why many online living trusts do nothing, and how to check yoursA living trust only controls what is moved into it. Why many trusts made online never are, what happens at death if yours is not, and a ten-minute check.Dec 4, 2026
- Problem solvedCharged after a free trial for an online will? How to cancel and what refund to ask forBilled by Rocket Lawyer, LawDepot, LegalZoom or Trust & Will after making a will? What their terms say about cancelling and refunds, and the order to act in.Nov 27, 2026
- Problem solvedGot married, divorced or moved? What happens to the will you made online, and how to update itWhat marriage, divorce, a new child or a move to another state does to an existing will, what the law changes, and what updating costs at each online service.Nov 25, 2026
- Problem solvedYou made a living trust online. Now fund it, or it will not avoid probateWhat funding a trust means, how to move your house, bank and investment accounts into it, what to leave out, and what each online service will do for you.Nov 24, 2026
- Problem solvedYou made your will online. Here is how to sign it so it is validStep by step: who can witness, when you need a notary, the self-proving affidavit, signing couples' wills, and the mistakes that make an online will fail.Nov 24, 2026
- Problem solvedAre online wills legally valid? What actually makes one hold upAn online will is as valid as any other if signed the way your state requires. What the law asks for, with Texas and Florida as examples, and why they fail.Nov 18, 2026
Questions about one service
- Provider questionIs FreeWill really free? Who pays for it, and what they get in returnHow FreeWill makes money, what nonprofits learn about you, which parts cost money (remote notary), and whether a free will is as valid as a paid one.Nov 29, 2026
- Provider questionIs LegalZoom legit for wills and trusts? Yes, with three things to watchWhether a LegalZoom will or trust holds up, what you are agreeing to at checkout, the renewing attorney plans, the 7-day refund window, and how to cancel.Nov 29, 2026
- Provider questionTrust & Will membership: what the yearly fee buys, and whether to say no thanksWhat Trust & Will's free tier, Essentials and Pro memberships include, what you lose without one, the refund rule, and who should add it at checkout.Nov 29, 2026
- Provider questionIs Trust & Will legit? What you are actually signing up forTrust & Will is a real company with valid-if-signed documents. Here is what its terms say about renewals, refunds, arbitration, your data and its partners.Nov 18, 2026
Prices and data
- DataOnline will refund policies, read closely: when the clock starts, what is excluded, and where they contradict themselvesRefund rules at the main online will services side by side: windows that start at purchase or completion, excluded add-ons, and conflicting terms.Dec 6, 2026
- DataWhat you agree to when you make a will online: arbitration, class-action waivers and the other clausesMandatory arbitration, class-action waivers, opt-out windows, guarantees that lapse when you edit, and who owns your data: what will services' terms say.Dec 5, 2026
- Data'Valid in all 50 states': what the claim on online will sites does and does not promiseWhy a will site's '50 states' claim is about its templates, not your will; the states services exclude; and the state rules that decide whether a plan works.Dec 5, 2026
- DataWhere your online will lives, and who can delete it: storage and access rules, quotedStorage disclaimers, download cut-offs and deletion clauses at the main online will services, and why the account is never the safe place for your will.Dec 5, 2026
- DataDoes a will need to be notarized? What the statutes say, and where will sites get it wrongIn most states a will is valid with two witnesses and no notary. What the notary is really for, which will sites overstate it, and where the rule differs.Dec 4, 2026
- DataWho gets paid when you make a will online: referral commissions, partners and review sitesAffiliate commissions, partner referral fees and charity sponsorships in online estate planning, from the companies' own pages, including how this site is paid.Dec 4, 2026
- Data'Drafted by attorneys': what the phrase on online will sites actually meansAttorney-drafted templates, attorney review, legal information and legal advice are four different things. What will services' own terms say you get.Dec 3, 2026
- DataThe renewals hidden in 'one-time' online wills: five patterns, quoted from the termsBundled attorney plans, courtesy-only reminders, non-refundable memberships, trials that convert and fees to keep your files: what the terms actually say.Dec 3, 2026
- DataWhy so many online wills are free: the three business models, and what each one wants from youFree online wills are paid for by charities, life insurers or subscription trials. How each model works, what it asks of you, and what to check first.Dec 3, 2026
- DataOnline wills with free updates: revision windows, renewal fees and what you keep, comparedHow long each online will service lets you edit for free, what keeping edit access costs after that, and what you can still download if you stop paying.Nov 26, 2026
- DataWhat online wills and trusts really cost: the three-year bill for 8 servicesPublished prices for eight online will and trust services: one person and couples, first year and three years, what renews, and what is not published.Nov 21, 2026