Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2025: America’s Best-Selling Estate Planning Software
Affordable, Attorney-Drafted Documents in One Comprehensive Program
Don’t Leave Your Family Navigating Complicated Legal Systems Alone
When someone dies without proper estate planning, the aftermath creates unnecessary hardship for grieving families. Without clear documentation, loved ones face months of court proceedings, expensive legal fees, conflicting family opinions, and uncertainty about honoring the deceased’s wishes.
State intestacy laws make decisions about asset distribution based on rigid formulas that rarely align with individual circumstances. Courts appoint administrators and guardians without input from the deceased. Probate proceedings drain time, money, and emotional energy during the period when families are least equipped to handle complexity.
According to a 2023 Caring.com survey, 67% of American adults lack basic estate planning documents. The reasons are predictable: discomfort with mortality, perceived complexity of the process, assumption that estate planning is only for wealthy people, or simply postponing the task indefinitely.
But that postponement carries serious consequences. Estate planning isn’t about death. It’s about protecting the people you love and ensuring your wishes are honored while you still have the power to do so.
Understanding Comprehensive Estate Planning
Estate planning encompasses more than just writing a will. Effective planning addresses multiple scenarios and uses various legal documents to protect your interests during life and distribute assets after death.
Core Estate Planning Components
Last Will and Testament
A will specifies how assets should be distributed after death, who should care for minor children, and who will execute these instructions. Without a will, state intestacy laws determine distribution according to predetermined formulas that may not reflect your wishes or family circumstances.
Wills go through probate court, a public legal process that validates the document and oversees asset distribution. Probate typically takes 6 to 18 months and costs 3% to 7% of estate value in legal and court fees, according to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Living Trust
A revocable living trust is a legal entity that holds assets during your lifetime and distributes them after death without probate court involvement. You maintain complete control over trust assets while alive, with flexibility to modify or revoke the trust anytime.
Trusts offer significant advantages: assets pass directly to beneficiaries without court involvement, the process remains private rather than becoming public record, and distribution typically happens within weeks rather than months or years. However, trusts require the additional step of transferring asset ownership into the trust’s name (called “funding” the trust).
Healthcare Directive and Living Will
Healthcare directives specify medical treatment preferences if you become incapacitated and unable to communicate. A living will addresses end-of-life care including life support, resuscitation, and other interventions. A healthcare power of attorney designates someone to make medical decisions on your behalf if you cannot.
The Terry Schiavo case in 2005 highlighted devastating consequences of missing healthcare directives. Her family spent years in legal battles over medical treatment because she left no written instructions. Healthcare directives prevent this scenario by documenting wishes while you’re capable of clear communication.
Financial Power of Attorney
This document designates someone to manage financial affairs if you become incapacitated. Your appointed agent can pay bills, manage investments, file taxes, and handle other financial matters according to your instructions.
Without this document, family members must petition courts for conservatorship, an expensive and time-consuming process requiring ongoing court supervision. Financial powers of attorney can be immediate (effective upon signing) or springing (effective only upon incapacitation).
Transfer on Death Deeds
Available in many states, transfer on death (TOD) deeds transfer real estate to designated beneficiaries automatically when you die, without probate. You maintain full ownership during life with the ability to revoke or change the deed anytime. TOD deeds provide benefits of both wills (simplicity) and living trusts (probate avoidance) for real estate.
Final Arrangements and Letters
Final arrangement documents specify wishes for burial, cremation, memorial services, and obituaries. Letters to survivors provide personal messages, location of important documents, account information, and guidance for family members.
Estate Planning Strategies: When to Use What
Different tools serve different purposes, and effective estate planning often combines multiple strategies.
Wills Work Best For:
- Naming guardians for minor children (trusts can’t do this)
- Smaller estates under state probate thresholds
- Individuals comfortable with probate process
- People wanting simplest possible planning
- Those needing to distribute personal property with sentimental value
Living Trusts Work Best For:
- Avoiding probate and associated costs/delays
- Maintaining privacy (probate is public record)
- Owning real estate in multiple states
- Managing assets if you become incapacitated
- Larger estates where probate costs are substantial
- Families wanting immediate asset access for beneficiaries
Both Together Work Best For:
- Comprehensive planning covering all scenarios
- Using trusts for major assets while wills catch anything not in the trust
- Designating child guardians (will) while avoiding probate (trust)
- Most complete protection
The American Bar Association recommends that comprehensive estate plans typically include both wills and trusts plus healthcare directives and financial powers of attorney. This combination addresses all major scenarios: death, incapacitation, medical decisions, and financial management.
DIY Estate Planning: Software vs. Attorneys
Technology has made attorney-quality estate planning documents accessible to everyone at a fraction of traditional costs.
When Software Works Well
Estate planning software serves millions of families effectively when:
- Family structure is straightforward (married couples, single individuals, standard parent-child relationships)
- Assets are typical (home, vehicles, bank accounts, retirement accounts, personal property)
- Distribution wishes are uncomplicated (everything to spouse, then children equally)
- Estate value is below federal estate tax threshold ($13.61 million in 2024)
- No special needs trusts required
- No business succession beyond basic provisions
- No anticipated will contests from disinherited family members
According to the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils, approximately 80% of American families have straightforward situations where software-generated documents work well.
When Attorney Counsel Is Essential
Certain situations require personalized legal advice from licensed estate planning attorneys:
- Estates exceeding $1 million requiring tax minimization strategies
- Special needs beneficiaries needing trusts that preserve government benefit eligibility
- Business ownership requiring buy-sell agreements and valuation strategies
- Blended families with complex inheritance wishes and potential conflicts
- International assets or beneficiaries
- Asset protection concerns involving creditors or lawsuits
- Second marriages where you want to provide for current spouse and children from previous relationships
- Charitable planning with sophisticated gift structures
Cost Comparison
Traditional estate planning attorney fees:
- Basic will and powers of attorney: $1,000 to $2,500
- Comprehensive planning with living trust: $2,500 to $5,000+
- Complex planning with tax strategies: $5,000 to $15,000+
Estate planning software:
- Basic packages: $50 to $150
- Comprehensive software: $100 to $250
- Represents 90% to 95% savings for comparable documents
The trade-off is personalization. Traditional attorneys provide customized guidance for unique situations, while software offers standardized templates for straightforward circumstances.
Comprehensive Estate Planning Software Within Legal and Tax Frameworks
Creating complete estate plans involves multiple interconnected documents that must comply with both federal tax regulations and varying state legal requirements governing wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. The IRS provides estate planning guidance including trust structures that minimize tax obligations, charitable giving strategies, and documentation requirements ensuring compliance with federal regulations affecting how assets transfer to beneficiaries. While comprehensive estate planning software cannot replace attorneys for complex high-value estates, understanding these frameworks helps families determine whether software solutions adequately address their planning needs or whether professional legal counsel is necessary for their specific circumstances.
The multi-document approach to estate planning reflects the reality that comprehensive protection requires more than simple wills. Research examining estate planning essentials and family protection strategies demonstrates that proper planning involves coordinating wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and beneficiary designations so they function harmoniously rather than creating conflicts or gaps in protection when families face medical crises, incapacity, or deaths requiring these documents to actually function as intended.
For families beginning to understand what comprehensive estate planning involves beyond basic will creation, detailed resources addressing estate planning fundamentals provide context explaining why comprehensive software like Quicken WillMaker serves important functions creating complete estate plan packages rather than just single-document solutions that leave families partially protected with incomplete planning addressing only some of the legal and financial challenges that deaths or incapacity create for surviving family members.
Quicken WillMaker & Trust: Comprehensive Software Solution
Quicken WillMaker & Trust, created by legal publisher Nolo, has been America’s best-selling estate planning software for over 50 years. The platform offers the most comprehensive document library among consumer estate planning software, with 35+ legal documents covering virtually every common planning scenario.
What Quicken WillMaker & Trust Offers
Last Will and Testament
The software guides users through creating customized wills using an interview-style questionnaire. Questions address personal information, family structure, assets, beneficiaries, guardian designations, executor appointments, specific bequests, and state-specific provisions.
The process takes most users 30 to 60 minutes depending on complexity. Documents are generated in state-specific formats complying with local legal requirements.
Living Trust Options
Quicken WillMaker includes both individual living trusts (for single people) and shared living trusts (for married couples or partners). The software guides users through trust creation, explaining when trusts make sense, how to fund them properly, and how to maintain them.
The platform also includes trust-related documents: trust certifications (summaries used when dealing with financial institutions), trust amendments, and trust revocations.
Healthcare Directives
The software creates comprehensive healthcare directives including living wills (treatment preferences) and healthcare powers of attorney (agent designation). State-specific versions account for varying legal requirements across jurisdictions.
Healthcare directives address life support, resuscitation, organ donation, pain management, and other medical interventions. The interview format helps users think through difficult scenarios and document clear wishes.
Financial Powers of Attorney
Quicken WillMaker generates durable financial powers of attorney designating agents to manage finances during incapacitation. Users can choose between immediate powers (effective upon signing) or springing powers (effective only upon incapacitation).
The software also includes limited powers of attorney for specific tasks or time periods, useful for situations like temporary absence or specific transaction needs.
Transfer on Death Deeds
For states that recognize TOD deeds, the software creates documents transferring real estate to beneficiaries outside probate. Users can designate primary and contingent beneficiaries, maintain full ownership during life, and revoke or change deeds anytime.
TOD deeds provide significant benefits for real estate owners wanting to avoid probate without the complexity of living trusts.
Final Arrangements and Personal Documents
The platform includes documents for final arrangements (burial, cremation, memorial service preferences), letters to survivors, personal property memorandums, and wishes about organ donation.
Additional Legal Forms
Beyond core estate planning, Quicken WillMaker includes 30+ additional forms for common legal and financial needs:
- Bill of sale
- Promissory notes
- Child care agreements
- Authorization to drive motor vehicle
- House-sitting instructions
- Pet care agreements
- Quitclaim deeds
- And many others
Platform Options
Quicken WillMaker offers two access methods with every purchase:
Downloadable Software: Install on Windows or Mac computers. Work offline. Documents stored locally on your computer. Ideal for users preferring local storage and offline access.
Online Platform: Access from any device with internet connection. Documents stored securely in cloud. Ideal for users wanting device-independent access.
Both options use identical interview processes and generate the same documents. Users can switch between platforms as needed.
State-Specific Compliance
The software generates documents complying with specific state legal requirements. Estate planning law varies significantly by state regarding witness requirements, notarization rules, trust provisions, and healthcare directive formats.
Quicken WillMaker accounts for these variations, providing state-specific documents with state-specific signing instructions.
Important Limitation: The software is not available in Louisiana (which uses Napoleonic civil law rather than common law) or US territories.
Educational Resources
Every purchase includes access to extensive educational content:
- Comprehensive legal manual explaining estate planning concepts
- Library of Nolo eBooks on specialized topics
- State-by-state legal information
- Detailed help articles for each document type
The 2025 edition includes eBooks on special needs trusts, elder care planning, and other specialized topics.
Document Updates and Revisions
Users can revise documents anytime during the first year at no additional cost. After one year, document revision access can be extended for $39.99 per year.
Legal and technical updates are provided through December 31, 2025 for users who purchased the 2025 edition. Nolo’s attorney team reviews and updates the software annually to reflect current law.
Customer Support
Technical and legal support is available through December 31, 2025 for 2025 edition purchasers. Support covers software functionality and general legal questions about document creation.
Pricing Structure
Quicken WillMaker & Trust offers three tiers:
Basic ($109): Includes core documents (will, healthcare directives, financial power of attorney, final arrangements) plus the legal manual and basic support.
Plus ($149): Adds transfer on death deeds, additional legal forms, and enhanced support resources.
All Access ($219): Includes everything in Plus, plus one year of Everplans digital vault service for secure document storage and organization, extended form library, and premium eBooks.
All tiers include both downloadable software and online platform access, one year of free document revisions, legal updates through 2025, and customer support.
Security and Privacy
Documents are protected using industry-standard encryption. Online versions use bank-level security protocols. Personal information is never sold to third parties.
Users maintain complete control over document storage and sharing. Original signed documents should be stored securely at home or with attorneys, with executors and family members knowing the location.
How to Use Estate Planning Software Effectively
Even well-designed software requires thoughtful preparation and proper execution to create effective estate plans.
Before You Begin
Gather Information: Compile complete asset inventory (real estate deeds, account statements, vehicle titles, insurance policies), list of beneficiaries with complete names and contact information, proposed guardian names and contact information, and proposed executor/agent names and contact information.
Discuss with Family: Talk with proposed guardians, executors, and agents to ensure they’re willing to serve. Discuss general wishes with spouse or partner to ensure alignment.
Consider Circumstances: Think through scenarios like simultaneous death, incapacitation, minor children reaching adulthood, and how you want assets distributed.
Complete the Interview
Work through software questions thoughtfully. Don’t rush. Most people need 30 to 90 minutes for basic documents, or several hours for comprehensive plans including trusts.
Use the “save and return” feature if you need to gather additional information. Review explanations and help content for unfamiliar concepts.
Review Documents Carefully
Read generated documents thoroughly before signing. Ensure names are spelled correctly, beneficiaries are accurate, and provisions reflect your wishes.
If something doesn’t look right, use the software’s editing features to make corrections, or return to the interview to change answers.
Execute Properly
Follow state-specific signing instructions exactly. Execution errors are the most common reason estate planning documents are rejected in court.
Most wills require two witnesses (sometimes three) who aren’t beneficiaries. Healthcare directives may require notarization, witnesses, or both depending on state. Powers of attorney are typically notarized.
Fund Your Trust
If you created a living trust, it only works if you transfer assets into it (called “funding”). This requires:
- Recording new deeds for real estate
- Changing title for vehicles
- Updating account registration for financial accounts
- Transferring business interests
Quicken WillMaker provides guidance about funding, but you must take action to complete these transfers.
Store Securely
Keep original signed documents in fireproof home safes, with attorneys, or in safe deposit boxes (though access can be complicated after death). Ensure executors, agents, and family members know where documents are located.
Review and Update
Review estate planning documents after major life events and every three to five years even without significant changes. Update for marriages, divorces, births, deaths, relocations, asset changes, or changed relationships with named beneficiaries or agents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Documents generated by Quicken WillMaker & Trust are legally valid if properly executed according to your state’s requirements. The software is created and maintained by Nolo’s team of licensed attorneys who ensure documents comply with state-specific legal standards. However, validity depends on proper execution: obtaining required witnesses, completing any required notarization, and signing according to state procedures. The software provides state-specific execution instructions that must be followed exactly. As long as you follow these instructions, your documents are legally valid and enforceable in your state (except Louisiana and US territories where the software is not available).
Estate planning software uses questionnaires to gather information and generates documents from attorney-drafted templates. It works well for straightforward situations with typical assets and standard family structures. Attorneys provide personalized legal advice, identify issues you might not recognize, handle complex situations, and offer ongoing counsel. The key differences are cost (software is 90%+ cheaper), customization (attorneys provide personalized solutions while software offers standardized templates), and complexity handling (attorneys manage complex tax planning, special needs trusts, and unusual situations that software can’t address). For straightforward estate planning, software provides legitimate legal documents at a fraction of attorney costs. For complex situations, attorney counsel is worth the additional investment.
Yes. Quicken WillMaker & Trust includes both wills and living trusts (individual and shared), and most comprehensive estate plans use both documents together. The typical approach is to create a living trust for major assets (real estate, investment accounts) to avoid probate, then create a “pour-over” will that catches any assets not transferred into the trust and directs them to the trust after death. The will is also where you name guardians for minor children, something trusts can’t do. This combination provides comprehensive coverage: probate avoidance for trust assets, guardian designation through the will, and a safety net for anything not in the trust.
Review estate planning documents after any major life event: marriage, divorce, birth or adoption, death of beneficiaries or named agents, significant asset acquisition or disposition, relocation to a different state, or changed relationships with people named in your documents. Even without major changes, review documents every three to five years to ensure they still reflect your wishes and comply with current law. Quicken WillMaker includes one year of free document revisions. After that, you can extend revision access for $39.99 per year. When updating, you typically create entirely new documents rather than amending existing ones, to avoid confusion or conflicts between different versions.
For straightforward situations, no. The software provides legally valid documents without attorney involvement. However, you should consult an estate planning attorney if you have a large estate requiring tax planning, own a business, have special needs beneficiaries, face potential will contests, have a blended family with complex wishes, need asset protection strategies, or have any unusual circumstances. The software includes educational content to help you assess whether your situation is straightforward enough for software or complex enough to require professional counsel. When in doubt, an initial consultation with an estate planning attorney can clarify whether you need ongoing legal services.
Your completed, signed documents remain legally valid regardless of Nolo’s business status. Once you’ve properly executed documents according to your state’s requirements, they’re enforceable independent of the software company. Downloaded software continues working on your computer even if the company ceases operations. You should save and print copies of all completed documents, storing them securely. The documents are yours permanently once created. The only thing affected by company status would be customer support, software updates, and online platform access for future revisions.
The software generates documents specific to your primary state of residence. If you own property in multiple states, this creates complexity. Wills valid in your home state are generally valid everywhere, but living trusts may require special provisions for out-of-state property. Transfer on death deeds are state-specific and not available in all states. If you have significant assets in multiple states, particularly real estate, consider consulting an estate planning attorney to ensure your plan addresses multi-state issues effectively. The software works for people who own vacation homes or rental property in other states but may not handle complex multi-state situations.
Quicken WillMaker costs more than basic free tools but provides significantly more comprehensive planning. The software includes 35+ legal documents (versus just wills for most free tools), extensive educational content, state-specific compliance, one year of free revisions, customer support, and both downloadable and online access. Free tools typically offer only basic wills with limited customization and no support. For the $109 to $219 cost, you get comprehensive estate planning covering multiple scenarios: death, incapacity, healthcare decisions, and financial management. If you need more than a simple will, Quicken WillMaker provides substantially better value than piecing together multiple free tools or paying for individual documents separately.
Protect Your Family With Comprehensive Estate Planning
Estate planning protects the people you care about most. It eliminates uncertainty during grief, prevents family conflicts, expedites asset distribution, ensures your wishes are honored, and provides for children and other dependents according to your values.
The process doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. Software like Quicken WillMaker & Trust has made comprehensive estate planning accessible to millions of families who previously delayed this critical task due to cost concerns or perceived complexity.
For straightforward situations, software provides legitimate legal protection at a fraction of traditional attorney costs. The comprehensive document library, educational resources, and state-specific compliance ensure you’re creating documents that work.
The hardest step is starting. Once you’ve committed to protecting your family, the process takes just a few hours. That small time investment provides lifelong peace of mind knowing you’ve handled one of life’s most important responsibilities.
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