Plain-English overviews of common estate-planning topics, written as conversation starters for a meeting with a licensed estate attorney. Learn Your Money does not create legal documents.
Learn Your Money does not create legal documents. Trust and estate pages are educational organizers to help families understand topics, gather information, and prepare better questions for a licensed estate attorney.
This is not legal advice and creates no attorney-client relationship. Estate law varies by state — consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Each card is a starting point for a conversation, not a recommendation. An attorney in your state will explain whether a vehicle is relevant to your situation and how it works under your state's law.
A common vehicle families discuss with attorneys for organizing assets and planning for incapacity or death. Whether it fits your situation is a conversation with a licensed attorney.
A trust families with significant life-insurance holdings sometimes discuss with their attorney. Whether it applies depends on your situation and your state's law.
A higher-complexity vehicle that comes up in conversations with experienced estate attorneys. Mechanics and suitability vary widely — a topic for a qualified attorney.
A specialized residence-planning vehicle. Mechanics are intricate and very fact-specific — definitely attorney territory.
A topic for families with a member who has or may have a disability. Rules are highly specific and benefits-sensitive — discuss with a Special Needs Alliance attorney specifically. Do not attempt without one.
A vehicle families discuss when charitable giving is part of an estate conversation. An attorney can explain whether it fits and how it works.
Another charitable-giving vehicle. Whether it makes sense — and how it interacts with the rest of your plan — is a conversation with a licensed attorney.
A multi-generational vehicle that varies significantly by state. Availability and design are attorney conversations.
A vehicle that interacts with the federal generation-skipping transfer rules. Mechanics and suitability are an attorney conversation.
A vehicle some married families discuss with their attorney. Mechanics depend on state law and your situation.
Read plain-English overviews of common trust vehicles, asset titling, and beneficiary designations. Educational only — not legal advice and not a substitute for an attorney conversation.
Open the App →An organizer-style page with prompts to think about, information to gather, and questions to ask before meeting with a licensed estate attorney. No documents are produced or downloaded.
See the organizer →Estate planning is highly state-specific and fact-specific. Conversations about disability and benefits in particular need a specialist. The right next step is a meeting with a licensed estate-planning attorney in your state.
Learn Your Money provides educational organizers and prompts. An attorney in your state provides the legal conversation. Both are different roles — this page is the first; the second cannot be replaced.