Will-Based Estate Plan Solutions

No.  A Last Will & Testament is an individual legal document, it does NOT cover both husband and wife if married.  You will need to set up 2 Wills, one for each spouse.  Something to consider if you are choosing an estate plan simply on costs... you would need to purchase 2 Will-Based Estate Plans, but only need to purchase 1 Trust-Based Estate Plan (these can be individual or joint).

No.  In fact a Will is just instructions for a Probate Judge, so it mandates that your estate goes through the probate process.  It does tell the courts who is to receive your assets (less the cost of probate) and/or guardianship of your minor children.  In some cases, a Will can speed up the process of probate, but it will never avoid it.

Generally, the fees involved in drafting a Living Trust document will be double or triple the cost of an ordinary Will. With a Will, however, you get a bonus...you get to go through Probate! You should not only count the cost to BEGIN an Estate Plan, but also include the FINAL costs to go through the settlement of your estate at death. When you add in the costs of Probate and legal representation, Gift Tax, Capital Gains Tax, and Federal Estate Taxes, the cost of the Will is universally more expensive . . . by tens of thousands! The average cost to do a Living Trust in most states (according to AARP 2019) is around $2,800 for the initial trust and then for any amendments to the trust, you should expect to pay an average of $625 per page.

This is not everything to consider, but a few points that might help you make a decision.  If you don't have any children to take care of a Will might be better. If you don't need control of how your assets are spent after you die, then a will might be a good fit. If your estate value is less than $200,000 (includes assets, investments, property & life insurance)... mathematically it may not make sense to do a Trust.  Most states have a simplified probate process if your estate value is less than 50k or 75k.  A Will does cost less initially than a Trust and is less work to get established, so that might also play into your decision.  But if avoiding probate is an important consideration, then a Trust would be the better fit and would cost less in the long run (especially for your loved ones).

You will receive one Last Will & Testament legal document (hard copy priority mailed to you in our Will Binder, plus access to the digital copy).  In addition, you will also receive a) Financial Power of Attorney documents.  b) Healthcare Directive documents.  c) Full access to our "Total Planning" client portal.  d) One full year of free revisions to your Will-Based Estate Plan documents. 

As long as you're over 18 years old, there's no wrong time to start estate planning or to speak to an estate planning attorney. Most people start estate planning after a major life event such as getting married, buying a home, or having kids, or after a death in the family. But everyone can benefit from planning ahead.  

While a Last Will & Testament and a Living Trust both lay out how to transfer your assets and personal property after your death, there are some key differences. A Will may be easier to set up, but it often needs to go through the court probate process after your death. A funded Living Trust can avoid probate, but transferring your assets into a trust can take time and require additional paperwork. 

Take our Will vs Trust Quiz to find out what most people do in your situation, click here.

We specialize in Revocable Living Trusts, which are the right fit for the vast majority of Americans.  These have different names depending on your situation.  We do Individual Trusts (for single/individuals up to the exemption amount... 13.99 million in 2025), sometimes referred to as an "A" Trust. We do Joint Trusts (for married couples up to the exemption amount... $27.98 million in 2025), sometimes referred to as an A/B Trust. 

We can also do "A/A" Trusts (this involves the production of 2 separate Individual Trusts - for long term domestic partners, same sex marriages, non-traditional couples, etc.). Even though you can get a Joint Trust if any of these situations apply to you, many attorneys suggest getting an A/A Trust over a Joint Trust if you are a non-traditional couple due to legal changes that can/have occurred in many states, which could nullify the validity of the trust in the future. Having two individual trusts solves this potential issue.  We don't list this as an option on our pricing sheet, but we do offer it if you desire to go this way... ask one of our client care specialist's about our 25% OFF discount we offer when purchasing TWO Individual Trusts (A/A Trust) and completing them at the same time, our price is $2,998 (saving you $1,000 off from ordering 2 Individual Trusts separately).  

Entrust Estate Solutions does NOT do the following types of trusts:  Q-TIP Trusts (estates over the exemption limit), Q-DOT Trusts (trust for non-citizens or aliens), Testamentary Trusts (often referred to as a Poor Mans Trust, which does not avoid probate), ILIT Trusts (Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust) or Land Trusts (transfer of ownership of real estate to a trustee).