Find the right plan.

If anyone depends on you, or you own anything you care about, you need a will. It's not about wealth. A will names who raises your kids, who handles your affairs, and who receives what you leave behind. That's the whole decision: you choose, or the state does.

Timing and probate. A will takes effect when you die and goes through probate, a public court process. A revocable living trust takes effect the moment you create it, holds your assets while you're alive, and passes them to your beneficiaries without probate: privately, and usually faster. A will is simpler and cheaper up front. A trust costs more up front and typically saves your family time, money, and publicity later. Most people only need a will. Some genuinely benefit from a trust. The honest answer depends on your situation, and we'll tell you which one fits.

Name them in a will. Guardianship for minor children can only be formally nominated there, which is why even people with trusts still need one. Name a backup too, in case your first choice can't serve. For a lot of parents, this single question is the reason the plan finally gets done, and it's a better reason than most.

Probate is the court supervised process of validating your will and distributing your estate after you die. It's public record, it can take months or longer, and the costs come out of what your family receives. A will goes through probate. A funded living trust skips it entirely, which is the main reason people choose one. Whether that trade is worth it depends on your estate, your privacy preferences, and your patience for courts, but now you know what the word means.

Four core documents, plus one optional addition. A last will and testament directs your assets and names your executor and guardians, and works after death. A financial power of attorney names who manages your finances if you can't, while you're alive. A healthcare directive records your medical wishes and who decides for you, while you're alive. A HIPAA authorization lets your people access your medical information, while you're alive. A revocable living trust is optional, holds assets and passes them without probate. Inhira plans include all of it in one guided sitting: answered in plain language, drafted to your state's law from attorney reviewed templates, and where your state allows, signed and notarized online before you log off.

With an attorney, a will typically runs from several hundred dollars to a few thousand, and a trust based plan more than that. With Inhira, a real will is free, forever, no credit card. Complete notarized plans and trust based plans are one time prices with no subscription. See current pricing at inhira.com/pricing. Whatever route you choose, compare it against the cost of the state's default plan, because that one isn't free either.