Legacy planning resources

Practical guides to the documents, wishes, conversations, and family details that make a plan complete.

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

What Is a Will and What Happens to Your Family Without One?

A Will, formally a Last Will and Testament, is a legal document that says who inherits your property, who raises your children, and who's in charge of carrying it all out after you die. In plain terms, it's a set of instructions, written to your state's rules, that tells a probate court what you intended, so your wishes are the ones that guide what happens. That's the part most people know. Here's the part they don't: a Will doesn't avoid probate, doesn't override your beneficiary designations,

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

Living Will vs. Last Will and Testament: What's the Difference?

People mix these two up all the time, and it's an easy mistake. They share a word and almost nothing else. One speaks for you while you're alive. The other speaks for you after you're gone. Here's the short version, then the full picture. A Living Will guides your medical care if you're alive but can't speak for yourself. A Last Will and Testament directs your property, and the care of your children, after you die. One is about your body and your wishes in a health crisis. The other is about y

Living Will vs. Medical Power of Attorney: What's the Difference?

These two get confused constantly, and it makes sense why: they both deal with your medical care, both only matter if you can't speak for yourself, both are usually signed at the same time, and in many states they're combined into a single document called an Advance Directive. But they do different jobs, and having one doesn't cover the other. Here's the short version, then the full picture. A Living Will is a written statement of the medical care you want. A Medical Power of Attorney names a

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

Three Digital Settings That Take Ten Minutes and Will Save Your Family a Lot of Frustration

Your Apple, Google, and Meta accounts are locked by default. Here's how to change that. Most of what goes into preparing for the ‘what if’s’ involves real thinking—who gets what, what you want, what you believe. These three things don't. They're settings. Buried inside apps you use every day to name a trusted person who can access your digital accounts if you can’t. Without them, your family has no official way to access your Apple, Google, and Meta accounts. They just sit there, locked. Indef

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

Guardian Decision Worksheet for Parents

Choosing a guardian can get emotionally loaded pretty fast. One minute you’re responsibly “getting your affairs in order,” and the next you’re mentally ranking everyone in your phone contacts on emotional stability and likelihood of remembering the dance recital. This worksheet is designed to help you think through those decisions a little more clearly, and a little less catastrophically. You don’t need perfect answers. The goal is to surface instincts, priorities, and tradeoffs so your final c

Common Guardian Mistakes Parents Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Choosing a guardian for your child can feel surprisingly high-pressure. Most parents approach guardianship with good intentions—and still get stuck. Not because they’re careless, but because this decision sits at the intersection of feelings, family dynamics, and uncertainty. And unfortunately, nobody hands you a clean little rubric titled: "How to choose the right person to raise your child without accidentally starting a family group chat spiral." So if you feel stuck, conflicted, or just ki

A Plain-Language Family Guide

A practical guide for protecting the people you love.

Legacy planning gives the people you love clear information, trusted decision-makers, and practical instructions for times when you cannot guide them yourself. It includes estate planning documents and the everyday details that rarely appear in a Will.

Start with what your family would need first, then add detail over time. Dandie, Dandelion’s AI companion, explains unfamiliar terms in plain language and guides you step by step as you build your Family Playbook.

Join our Waitlist

Quick Checklist

What belongs in a legacy plan?

Start with these five areas, then update them as life changes.

01
Important documents
Your current Will, powers of attorney, advance directives, insurance policies, property records, and other essential paperwork.
02
People and roles
Guardians, backup guardians, health care decision-makers, financial agents, executors, advisers, and emergency contacts.
03
Practical instructions
Household routines, recurring bills, digital access plans, pet care, school information, and the location of important items.
04
Personal wishes
Family traditions, stories, values, messages, memorial preferences, and details that help loved ones decide in your spirit.
05
A sharing and update plan
A trusted person who knows the plan exists, understands how to access it, and can act when needed.

Step 01

Decide what your legacy plan needs to accomplish.

Dandie starts by learning about the people and situations your plan needs to support: children, an aging parent, a partner, a dependent adult, pets, or several generations at once. Guided questions help uncover what your family would need in the first day, first week, and first month if you were suddenly unavailable.

Dandelion then builds a personalized roadmap for your situation, so you can focus on the right priorities and make progress over time instead of trying to solve everything at once.

Step 02

Organize important documents and records.

Dandie asks what important documents and records you already have, helps you understand what may be missing, and guides you through the next step. That may include a Will, powers of attorney, advance directives, trust documents, insurance policies, beneficiary information, property records, medical information, and adviser contacts.

Dandelion brings those pieces together in your Family Playbook, one step at a time, so your family can understand what exists and where the authoritative versions live. The National Institute on Aging also recommends keeping important records together in a safe, findable place.

When you need individualized advice or a state-valid legal document, Dandelion helps you recognize that next step and connect the planning work with the appropriate professional support.

Step 03

Name guardians and the people who may need to act.

For parents, naming a guardian for minor children is often the most urgent step. Dandie helps you consider values, location, health, family relationships, daily life, and willingness to serve, then guides you toward a primary choice and backup.

Dandelion uses the same guided approach for other trusted roles, including a health care proxy, financial agent, executor, and emergency contacts. Your roadmap shows which decisions matter for your family and what to complete next.

Step 04

Record health care wishes and decision-making preferences.

Dandie guides you through the questions that shape an advance care plan, including what matters to you, who should speak for you, and which preferences your loved ones and clinicians should understand.

Your answers and document locations stay organized in the Family Playbook alongside any living Will, advance directive, or health care proxy. The National Institute on Aging offers additional questions and worksheets.

Step 05

Capture the practical details that keep family life moving.

A legal estate plan rarely explains how to run a household on Monday morning. Dandie prompts you for the practical details your family may need, including school and caregiver contacts, medications, allergies, pet routines, recurring bills, home details, and the location of keys or emergency supplies.

Dandelion organizes those instructions in the Family Playbook so they are clear, current, and available to the right person when needed.

Step 06

Preserve the personal parts of your legacy.

Dandie also makes room for the personal parts of a legacy: stories, recipes, traditions, letters, values, memorial preferences, and messages for future milestones.

Guided prompts help you capture one meaningful piece at a time and preserve context that a legal document cannot.

Step 07

Build and share a Family Playbook.

Dandelion’s Family Playbook is a secure, editable digital workspace for Paperwork, Practical instructions, and Personal information. Update it as life changes or download a PDF for offline use.

You can invite an Emergency Keyholder, a trusted person who can receive access when needed. Dandelion helps you prepare that person by making the Playbook, original document locations, important contacts, and first steps clear.

Guided by Dandie

Plain-language guidance, one manageable step at a time.

Dandie, Dandelion’s AI companion, turns a broad goal like “get my affairs in order” into manageable next steps. It asks questions based on your family, explains unfamiliar terms, and helps identify gaps across paperwork, practical details, and personal wishes.

Your answers become an organized Family Playbook, with prompts when information may need another look. Dandie guides the process but does not replace an attorney, financial adviser, or health care professional.

Keep It Useful

Keep your legacy plan current.

Review your plan after a birth, death, marriage, divorce, move, major health change, change in assets, or change in a named decision-maker. Schedule a regular check-in even when nothing major has happened.

Dandie can prompt you when information may need review, and the editable Family Playbook lets you update details without starting over.

Start with one useful step.

List your important documents, talk with a potential guardian, or write down one practical detail only you know. Then build from there.

Join our Waitlist

Common Questions

Legacy planning FAQs.

What is legacy planning?

Legacy planning is the process of organizing the documents, decision-makers, practical instructions, and personal wishes your family may need if you become unable to guide them yourself. It includes estate planning, but it also covers everyday information, family stories, care preferences, and a clear plan for sharing access.

What is the difference between estate planning and legacy planning?

Estate planning usually focuses on legal and financial decisions, such as a Will, powers of attorney, beneficiary choices, trusts, and the distribution of assets. Legacy planning includes those foundations and adds practical household details, health care wishes, family values, personal messages, and instructions that help loved ones understand what to do and why it matters.

What documents should be included in a legacy plan?

The documents depend on your family and state, but a legacy planning checklist commonly includes a current Will, financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney or proxy, living Will or advance directive, applicable trust documents, insurance information, beneficiary records, property records, and contact information for professional advisers. A qualified professional can help you determine which state-valid documents you need.

How do parents name a guardian for minor children?

Parents typically nominate a guardian through a state-valid legal document, often a Will. Before naming someone, consider values, location, health, family relationships, financial stability, and willingness to serve. Talk with your preferred guardian, choose a backup, and confirm the correct legal process with an attorney or other qualified professional in your state.

What is a Family Playbook?

Dandelion’s Family Playbook is a secure, editable digital workspace that brings together Paperwork, Practical instructions, and Personal information. It can be updated as life changes, downloaded as a PDF, and shared through an invited Emergency Keyholder so a trusted person can receive access when needed.

How often should a legacy plan be updated?

Review your legacy plan after a birth, death, marriage, divorce, move, major health change, significant change in assets, or change in a named decision-maker. It is also useful to schedule a regular check-in even when nothing major has happened. Dandie can prompt Dandelion members when information may need another look.

How does Dandie help with legacy planning?

Dandie is Dandelion’s AI companion. It asks questions based on your family and priorities, explains unfamiliar planning terms in plain language, helps identify gaps across paperwork and instructions, and organizes your answers into a Family Playbook. Dandie is a guide and does not replace an attorney, financial adviser, or health care professional.

01Estate PlanningWills, essential documents, and how to get started without the legalese.02WillsWhat a Will does, what to include, and how to leave clear instructions.03Advance DirectivesHow to document medical wishes and choose someone to speak for you.04GuardianshipHow to choose a guardian, ask them, and document what matters.05Power of AttorneyHow to choose someone you trust to handle financial or medical decisions.06ProbateWhat probate is, how it works, and how families can prepare for it.07Legacy PlanningThe wishes, stories, and practical details worth passing on.