The quick answer
If you own a home, want privacy, or want your family to skip probate court, choose a living trust. If you don’t own real estate and just want a baseline plan that names guardians and beneficiaries, a will is enough.
Why most homeowners pick a trust
Probate is the court process that distributes a person’s assets after death. It’s public, slow, and often expensive — depending on the state and the size of the estate, it can take 6–18 months and cost 3–7% of the estate value in fees. A living trust skips probate entirely.
Trusts are also private. A will becomes public record once it goes to probate. A trust does not. If you’d rather your family’s finances not be searchable, a trust is the better fit.
When a will is enough
Wills are simpler, less expensive (in attorney terms — our pricing is the same either way), and adequate for many people. If your assets are limited to bank accounts, retirement funds, and personal property — and you’ve named beneficiaries on those accounts — a will provides the missing piece: who gets what, and who manages the estate.
The role of state law
Estate planning is governed at the state level. Some states have particularly slow probate processes (California is famous for this); others are much faster. State law also affects things like community property, spousal rights, and what counts as a valid will. Your MyEstatePlanner documents are state-specific from the start.
The MyEstatePlanner difference
Both our will plan and our trust plan include power of attorney, healthcare directive, and HIPAA authorization — so you’re never picking just one document. The difference is whether your core document is a will or a trust.
- Individual Will Plan: $995 — last will, POA, healthcare directive, HIPAA
- Individual Trust Plan: $995 — living trust, pour-over will, POA, healthcare directive, HIPAA
- Couples plans: $1,195 (same documents for two people)