State law decides
Without a valid will, a state’s intestacy rules generally determine who inherits. Those rules may not match your relationships or intentions.
Free estate planning tools
Useful planning help should be easy to start.
Explore a growing library of free quizzes calculators and guides built to turn uncertainty into a clearer next step.
Start with these questions
Who should receive your property—and who should receive it if they cannot?
Who do you trust to handle money, paperwork, and decisions?
What needs special care: children, a home, a business, pets, or a loved one with disabilities?
Free planning tools
A private place to get clarity before you decide.
Use free interactive quizzes calculators and guides to organize your thoughts. No sign-in required.
Free interactive quiz
2 minutesEstate Planning Readiness Quiz
See which planning conversations may deserve your attention in about two minutes.
Open free tool →Free interactive quiz
3 minutesWill or Trust Explorer
Explore the questions that can shape a will trust or coordinated plan conversation.
Open free tool →Free calculator
3 minutesEstate Value Planner
Create a simple starting estimate of assets debts and people who depend on your plan.
Open free tool →Free planning guide
5 minutesFamily Records Checklist
Build a practical list of records and contacts that can make a difficult time less overwhelming.
Open free tool →Free planning guide
4 minutesBeneficiary Review Guide
Use a clear prompt list to review the designations that may sit outside a will.
Open free tool →Free planning guide
5 minutesGuardian Conversation Guide
Prepare for a thoughtful conversation with the people you may ask to care for your children.
Open free tool →How Wills.com helps
A better planning conversation starts here.
- 01
Learn the essentials
Start with plain-language guides to the documents and decisions that may be relevant to you.
- 02
Find the right conversation
Search for an estate-planning attorney near you when you are ready for guidance about your circumstances.
- 03
Prepare with confidence
Gather questions, people, and information so you can make the most of your next planning conversation.
Do not leave it to chance
What can happen without a will?
The difference is that more of the important choices may be made by default rules, a court, or the practical limits facing the people left behind.
No guardian nomination
A court may need to decide who will care for minor children if no legally effective nomination is in place.
More pressure on loved ones
Family members may need to locate records, open an estate, satisfy creditors, and make difficult choices with less direction.
Assets can pass differently
Joint ownership, beneficiary designations, and trust-owned property may pass outside a will—sometimes with results that surprise families.
Inheritance, probate, guardianship, creditor, tax, and trust rules differ by state and circumstances. A qualified attorney can explain how the rules apply to you.