Will vs Trust — Which Do You Need?
They solve different problems, and most people need a will long before they need a trust. Here is the honest comparison.
A will directs
It says who receives what, who raises your children, and who administers your estate — after you die.
A trust holds
It lets trustees hold and manage property for your family, and can pass assets outside your estate.
Probate
Assets in a properly funded trust generally avoid probate. Assets passing under a will usually do not.
Most people start with a will
A will is the foundation. A trust is an addition for specific circumstances, not a replacement.
The honest comparison
- Everyone with assets or dependants needs a will. Not everyone needs a trust.
- A will only operates on death. A trust can operate during your lifetime.
- A trust only protects what is actually transferred into it — an unfunded trust does nothing.
- A trust does not remove the need for a will: you still need one to cover anything outside the trust.
Pricing
Simple, transparent pricing. No hidden fees.
The Standard will is free — a complete, legally valid will at no cost. The Advanced will and the optional add-ons are paid.
Your will and legal documents
One-time payment. Nothing renews.
Basic Will
Gets it done, at no cost.
No cost, ever
- Choose who inherits: family, your partner, friends or a charity
- Name the executor who carries out your wishes (a friend is fine)
- Name a guardian for your children, if you have kids under 18
- Say who gets everything you don't give away specifically
- A step-by-step assistant that explains every question
- A signing checklist so you know exactly how to sign and witness it
- Free changes, as often as your life changes
- Stored in your secure vault, ready to view, print or share
Advanced Will
For when your wishes are more specific.
One-time payment
- Everything in Basic, plus:
- Back-up executors, if your first choice can't act
- Specific gifts: a particular item, account or sum to a particular person
- Cash gifts to the people and causes you choose
- Your pets: who takes care of them, and money for their care
- Trusts for young beneficiaries, so they inherit at the age you choose
- Your burial or cremation wishes
- Children born outside marriage, stepchildren and other non-traditional families
Not happy? Ask for a refund and you'll get one. Within 30 days of purchase.
Optional Add-ons
Complete Bundle
Everything, at one price. The Advanced Will, plus:
- Power of Attorney: who handles your money and property if you can't
- Living Will: your medical and end-of-life wishes, in writing
- A matching will for your spouse or partner
- A family trust
- E-notarization of your will
- Your will printed and mailed to you
- An affidavit of execution
- A cross-border will (Canada and the U.S.)
Power of Attorney
Power of Attorney documents
$29Spousal Will
Mirrored will for your spouse/partner
$39E-Notary
Electronic notarization of your will
$49The Estate Planner
Estate Admin Hub + Financial Succession Planner. A subscription: your first month is free with your will.
Yearly
Save 50%$35.88 billed once a year
- Estate Admin Hub: accounts, property, insurance, debts and who to call
- Financial Succession Planner: net worth, cash flow, retirement, debt and coverage
- Final Wishes: burial or cremation, the service, who to tell
- Choose who sees each record: now, after death, or never
- In your Vault, beside your will. Written answers are stored encrypted
First month free, then $35.88 a year until you cancel. Cancel anytime in Settings.
Monthly
$5.99 billed every month
- Estate Admin Hub: accounts, property, insurance, debts and who to call
- Financial Succession Planner: net worth, cash flow, retirement, debt and coverage
- Final Wishes: burial or cremation, the service, who to tell
- Choose who sees each record: now, after death, or never
- In your Vault, beside your will. Written answers are stored encrypted
First month free, then $5.99 a month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in Settings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between a will and a trust?
A will directs what happens to your estate after you die. A trust is an arrangement where trustees hold property for beneficiaries, and it can operate while you are alive.
Do I need both?
Often yes. Even people with a trust keep a will to cover assets that were never transferred into it. A will is the foundation of any plan.
Does a trust avoid probate?
Assets properly transferred into a trust generally pass outside your estate and so avoid probate. Assets left out of the trust do not.
Which should I do first?
Make your will first — it is free here and takes about twenty minutes. Then consider whether a trust adds anything for your circumstances.
What is a living will vs a will?
They are unrelated despite the similar name. A will says who receives your property after you die. A living will, also called an advance directive, records your medical wishes while you are alive but unable to speak for yourself. Most people should have both, and they are separate documents.
What is an unfunded trust?
A trust that was drawn up but never had assets transferred into it. It is the most common and most expensive trust mistake, because the paperwork exists while the protection does not. Anything left outside the trust still passes under your will.
Do I need a trust if I have young children?
Not necessarily. A will can already appoint guardians and hold a child's inheritance until an age you choose, which covers what most families are worried about. A separate trust is for more specific circumstances.
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