Estate Planning
Plain-language guides to wills, guardianship, probate, and the documents your family will actually need — without the legalese.
Who Is the Testator? Confirming Who Makes a Will
The testator is the person who makes a will and whose wishes it records. In most states they must be at least 18 and of sound mind when signing, and the will should identify them by full legal name and residence.
Are Online Wills Legit? How to Choose an Online Will Service
Yes, an online Will can be just as legally valid as one drafted in a lawyer's office. What makes a Will valid is not where it was written but whether it follows your state's rules and is signed the way your state requires. A good online service handles the first part and walks you through the second. The same is true of the other core estate documents, a Power of Attorney and a Health Directive, and the checklist below applies to all three. That still leaves the real question: which service, a
Backup Executor: Why Name One and How to Choose
A backup executor, also called an alternate or successor executor, is the person your will names to take over if your first choice can't or won't serve. Naming one keeps the job with someone you picked. If no named executor is available, a probate court appoints someone, usually following a priority order set by state law. What is a backup executor? A backup executor is the next person in line for the executor's job. They have no role unless your first choice doesn't serve. An executor is th
The Dandelion 'Get Ready' Checklist
If something happened to you tomorrow, someone else would need to keep your household running: pick up the kids, feed the dog, pay the mortgage. Most families haven't written any of this down. This checklist covers the practical, findable information a family needs first, before any legal paperwork comes into play. What is a "Get Ready" checklist? A get ready checklist is a short list of practical, everyday information, not legal documents, that lets someone else step in and keep a household
Power of Attorney: What It Is and Why Every Adult Needs One
A Power of Attorney is a legal document that lets you name someone to make decisions for you if you can't make them yourself. You're the "principal." The person you name is your "agent." Depending on the kind, they can handle your finances, your medical care, or both, during any stretch where you're alive but unable to act on your own. Here's what most people get wrong about it: they think it's a document for the elderly. It isn't. A Power of Attorney covers the gap a Will doesn't, because a Wi
What Is Intestate Succession? Who Inherits When There's No Will
Here's the part almost no one realizes: even if you've never written a will yourself, you already have one. Your state wrote it for you. If you die without a Will of your own, a set of state rules called intestate succession steps in and distributes everything you owned, following a fixed formula written into your state's law. It's a real plan with real consequences. It's just not yours. That's what "dying intestate" means: not that there's no plan, but that you left the state's default one in
A Will vs. a Living Will vs. a Trust: What's the Difference (and What Most Families Need)
These three get bundled together constantly, usually by someone trying to work out which ones they need. They sound related, and two of them are. The third isn't about your money at all. Here's the fast version. A Will directs your property and names guardians for your children, and it takes effect after you die. A Trust also directs your property, but it can skip probate and start working while you're alive. A Living Will has nothing to do with your property: it's a medical document that recor
5 Things to Ask Your Parents About Their Estate Plan
Most families never have this conversation until something forces it, and by then the easy version is gone. If you've been meaning to bring it up with your parents and haven't found the words, this is a place to start. You don't need to know their net worth, and you don't need to do this in one sitting. Five answers, gathered across a few ordinary conversations, will tell you most of what you need. Here are the questions, what each one actually tells you, and how to say it without making it wei
Beneficiary Designations: How Financial Assets Avoid Probate (and Why Your Will Can't Help)
Three Things Most People Get Wrong Myth 1: "My Will handles everything—including keeping my financial assets out of probate." It doesn't. A Will guides the probate process; it doesn't avoid it. And your retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank accounts each have their own transfer instructions that legally override your Will. If those designations are outdated or missing, having a Will can't fix it. Myth 2: "I'll set beneficiaries up once and I'm done." Beneficiary designations don't upda
Estate Planning: Who Needs It, How to Get Started, and How to Avoid Common Mistakes
More than 60% of American adults have no will or estate plan, which means the majority of families are one unexpected event away from a court deciding what happens to their assets, their children, and their healthcare. Estate planning services exist to close that gap before it becomes a crisis. Most people think estate planning is something you do later. Later, when you own more. Later, when you finally understand what a trust actually is. But estate planning usually becomes important much ear
Estate Planning 101 for Parents (and Parents-to-Be)
Estate planning sounds like something you do later—after the kids are older, the house is paid off, and you finally understand what all the mail from your insurance company actually means. But if you’re a parent (or about to become one), estate planning isn’t really about wealth or complexity. It’s about care, continuity, and clarity. It’s making sure your children are protected, your wishes are documented, and the people you love aren’t left trying to decode your intentions during an already
Quick Answers
Estate planning, answered simply.
Start with the basic decisions and documents, then use the guides below to go deeper.
- What is estate planning?
- Estate planning is the process of deciding who should act for you, how your property should be handled, and what instructions your family should have if you die or cannot make decisions for yourself.
- Which documents are commonly part of an estate plan?
- A plan often includes a Will, financial and health care Powers of Attorney, an Advance Directive, beneficiary designations, and clear information about important accounts and documents. The right set depends on your family and state law.
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