Estate planning questions, answered plainly

Usually yes, especially if you have minor children — a will is the document that names a guardian for them, which has nothing to do with how much property you own. Even a modest estate benefits from a will simply so someone you chose, not a state formula, decides who gets what.

A will only takes effect after you die and goes through probate, a court process. A living trust can hold property while you're alive and pass it to beneficiaries without probate, but only for assets you've actually retitled into the trust's name. Many people need a will regardless of whether they also set up a trust.

Generally yes, if it's properly signed and witnessed according to your state's rules — the platform doesn't make it valid or invalid, your state's execution requirements do. Read the signing instructions carefully, because an unwitnessed or improperly signed will can be challenged even if the content was fine.

Business ownership, blended families, a special-needs dependent, high-value or complex estates, or state-specific issues an online form can't handle are the usual triggers. If none of those apply and your goals are straightforward, an online will or will-plus-trust package is often genuinely enough.

Your state's intestacy laws decide who inherits, usually a fixed formula favoring a spouse and children, and a court decides who raises your minor children if no guardian was named. It's rarely identical to what someone would have chosen for themselves, which is why even a simple will changes the outcome.

A power of attorney lets someone you choose make financial or legal decisions for you if you become unable to. It has nothing to do with what happens after you die — it only matters while you're alive but incapacitated, and most people who focus only on a will skip this document entirely.

A healthcare directive (sometimes called a living will or advance directive) states your medical wishes, and a healthcare power of attorney names someone to make medical decisions for you if you can't. They're usually paired documents and are as important as the will itself for most adults.

A simple online will typically runs in the tens of dollars, an online will-plus-trust package usually costs more, often in the low hundreds, and an attorney-drafted plan varies widely by complexity and location. See our cost guide for the general ranges, described as typical, not guaranteed.

Review it every few years as a habit, and update it immediately after marriage, divorce, a new child, a death of someone named in the plan, or a move to a different state, since state rules on wills and probate differ.

In some states, a handwritten (holographic) will is legally recognized, but the rules for validity are strict and vary by state, and a document that doesn't meet them can be thrown out entirely. A basic online will service or a template built for your state is usually a safer floor than starting from a blank page.

No — most people with a living trust still need a 'pour-over' will to catch anything not retitled into the trust before they die, and a will is still the document that names a guardian for minor children. A trust supplements a will; it typically doesn't replace it.

No. Wills, trusts, probate, intestacy and power of attorney rules described here are specific to US states and don't transfer directly to other countries' legal systems — if you live outside the US, look for guidance built for your own jurisdiction.