Frequently asked questions

No. This guide is for general education and conversation preparation only. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and cannot tell you which documents are right for you. Laws and individual circumstances vary by state. For advice on your situation, speak with a qualified estate planning attorney.

No. Your answers stay only in your browser's temporary memory for the current page and are discarded when you close or refresh it. We do not require an account or login, and we do not save answers, names, family details, or results to any database, server, analytics tool, or browser storage. Nothing about your questionnaire or guide lives on this site.

Yes. When you finish, you can download your guide to your device (done entirely in your browser) or elect to email it to the firm. Emailing is your choice and is the only time your guide leaves your browser — nothing is saved on this site either way. Providing your name or email when sending is optional.

Those two pages are optional AI assistants, and they work differently from the private questionnaire. Their conversations are assisted by AI and the conversation history is stored on the platform's servers — so keep them general (no account numbers, balances, or names). The questionnaire itself never sends your answers to an AI or any third party.

No. Results are produced by transparent, rule-based logic in the app itself. Your answers are never sent to an AI model or any third-party service. Printing and downloading also happen entirely in your browser.

It depends. A will directs how property passes through your estate and lets you name a personal representative and a guardian for minor children. A revocable living trust can manage assets during incapacity and coordinate distribution after death, but it only controls assets transferred into it and does not automatically avoid probate, reduce taxes, or protect assets from creditors. Whether one or both fit depends on your goals, assets, and state. This guide flags topics to discuss — it never decides for you.

Only for assets that have been transferred (titled) into the trust. Assets left outside the trust may still pass through probate. A trust also does not by itself reduce income or estate taxes or protect assets from creditors. A pour-over will is often used alongside a trust to catch any leftover assets, but those may still go through probate.

A health care power of attorney (or proxy/surrogate) names someone to make medical decisions if you cannot. A HIPAA authorization lets named people receive your protected health information. They are distinct and are often used together — especially for young adults turning 18. Some states combine related documents into one form.

At 18, a person is legally an adult. Parents do not automatically keep access to medical information, the ability to make medical decisions, or education records. A young adult can sign a health care power of attorney, HIPAA authorization, durable financial power of attorney, and (for school records) a FERPA consent. The student decides whom to authorize.

Review your plan after major life changes — marriage, divorce, birth or adoption, a death in the family, a move to a new state, buying or selling significant property, starting or selling a business, a child turning 18, or significant changes in assets or the law. Even an existing plan can stop fitting your life or current law over time.

See the Planning checklist page: any existing documents, a general inventory of assets and debts, deeds, business documents, current beneficiary forms, the names or roles of people you're considering for fiduciary roles, and a list of questions. You don't need exact balances for this guide, and you never upload any of it here.

Real estate is generally administered where it is located, so owning property in several states can raise questions about more than one process. A trust (for property transferred into it) or a different titling strategy might simplify things, but that depends on your situation. This is a common topic to raise with an attorney.

For 2026, the federal estate tax exemption is $15,000,000 per person under P.L. 119-21. Estates below that amount generally owe no federal estate tax, though lifetime gifts and other factors can affect your individual picture. State estate or inheritance taxes can apply at much lower thresholds and vary by state. This is a common question to confirm with an attorney for your specific situation.