A Look At LegalZoom And Trust And Will
LegalZoom is an online legal technology company that provides business, licensing and estate planning services. Founded in 2001 by attorneys in Los Angeles, LegalZoom has grown to a publicly traded company that was built for millennials and offers a wide range of legal services, including estate planning.
Trust & Will is an online estate planning service company that offers wills, trusts, and healthcare documents in all 50 states and Washington, D . C. Founded in 2017, the startup company is based in San Diego and has a mission to make estate planning simple. What sets them apart from other companies, including LegalZoom, is that Trust & Will products are developed in-house and the team consists of legal and technology experts focused solely on estate planning products.
Major Feature Set Differentiation
In their basic package, LegalZoom offers a last will and testament with 5.1 stars, power of attorney with 4.6 stars, a living trust with 4.5 stars, and an advance health care directive with 4.5 stars. Trust & Will has almost the same ratings. Their basic package costs $69 and consists of a last will and testament with 5.1 stars (power of attorney revision is due and not rated), a living trust with 5.1 stars and 5.1 stars for an advance health care directive.
LegalZoom’s Classic Will packages are priced between $149 to $220 depending on how you pay. Their Trust Agreement package costs $259 for a single person and $289 for a couple. Their package includes a consultation with a licensed attorney via phone or a video conference. Trust & Will packages are cheaper and are priced at $69 for a single Trust, $129 for a couple Trust, $99 for a guardian and estate guardian package and $199 for a guardian and estate guardian package. Trust & Will also offers a 21-day free trial to allow customers to make sure that they are happy with the documents they prepare.
Trust & Will offers electronic copies and allows customers to edit their documents an unlimited number of times within their subscription period. In comparison, LegalZoom allows customers to make changes for free within the first 60 days after they have purchased the product.
Cost Of LegalZoom Vs Trust & Will (A Breakdown)
LegalZoom offers their services on an a la carte pricing structure for all of their services. Their most basic LLC formation fee is $79 for completing and filing your Articles of Organization. LLC packages start in the $300 range or $500 if you hire a registered agent service. They also offer monthly membership plans, but the monthly plans do not really save you that much money on the a la carte packages. Their monthly memberships start at $9.99 per month for a 1 year term and then changes to $14.99 for a 2, 3 or 4 year term. The other membership plans include a trust plan, tax etc. which are each priced at $15.99 per month for 1 year term and $24.99 for a 2, 3 or 4 year term. Their membership plans offer LegalPlan attorney advice for phone live help and attorney advice as needed for $31.99 a year or $2.65 per month as part of the membership plan.
Trust & Will offers a number of simple estate planning products with flat fees. Their living trust package is $159 and their wills package is $89. Their estate planning documents cost approximately 50% less than LegalZoom’s Trust planning and wills packages. They also charge additional fees for other family estate planning documents including guardianship documents for $49 per family, a financial power of attorney for $39 per principal and a health care power of attorney for $47. For those individuals who do not need a full trust, but need a will, they only charge $39 for each additional "add on" document.
User Experience And Platform Interface
The overall user experience and design of the platform are important. The more intuitive it is, the more likely someone is to want to use it, especially for estate planning, which most people don’t want to have to think about at all.
Both companies have a similar overall design and feature layout. The choice is somewhat between a circular logo and a wedge. LegalZoom has that circular logo that is similar to Apple or Disneyland. Trust & Will has the wedge logo that has a wealth of color gradation. Both have small icons and imagery throughout their platforms. Depending on age, some people gravitate towards their respective styles.
The experience of navigating through each platform felt to be about the same. But maybe that’s just personal preference. The side menu in LegalZoom is easy to close and add things to your cart. The blue button to buy now is easy to locate. For people who do not have the icons turned on for each platform, both have a similar top menu with their logo. Trust & Will’s options are listed on the left-hand menu showing you how far along you are on each document. LegalZoom seems to stick to the same format with the middle menu bar listing what stage you are in the creation process.
In both platforms, you’ll have to create an account. Trust & Will will let you try the platform for a limited time without creating an account. The sign-up process is similar between the two; both require you to provide information about yourself. The setup was pretty simple for both situations. You just type in your name, address, and email. In particular, I found the overall sign-up process very intuitive with Trust & Will because it led you directly to what you could complete for free.
With LegalZoom, you go through an additional set of questions to get to the actual document. Both platforms show you where there are free items and paid items, so you feel encouraged to opt-in for their services at various stages. This is really where Trust & Will got a leg up, showing you where you can complete your materials for free.
Both platforms offer paid services where they’ll help you complete the document. Trust & Will’s model is that you pretty much do everything yourself unless you have a complicated estate. With LegalZoom, if you opt-in for an attorney they will help you complete the form.
Trust & Will does have a complete walkthrough and guidance in completing their documents, which LegalZoom only offers when you pay.
Customer Support Options
When considering an online service for legal assistance, customer support is an important issue. There will inevitably be unanswered questions and concerns that require attention. LegalZoom provides support through: — Email support — Phone support — Chat support — Support ticket system Email support is available 24/7. The time frame in which support is provided and the lack of an additional cost for email support (aside from normal fees associated with answering the question), is impressive. However, it has been said that the more complex the legal issues are, the more difficult it is for the staff to assist them. This is one of my main worries when it comes to these types of services . The phone support is for questions about ongoing cases. You can leave a message, tell them about your issue, and they’ll get back to you with an answer.
You don’t need an account or subscription to get either email or phone support. In fact, their simple contact us page encourages anyone to reach out with any questions or concerns. Call 1 (844) 943-5245 Monday through Friday, from 5am-8pm PST. Email [email protected] for support. Chat with a Trust & Will representative on their site Monday through Friday from 5am-8pm PST. Trust & Will resources include: — An incredibly easy-to-use knowledgebase with answers to frequently asked questions — An impressive blog covering a wide array of estate planning topics — Comprehensive FAQ section
Pros And Cons Of LegalZoom & Trust And Will
LegalZoom
Pros:
LegalZoom has a longstanding reputation, and many people view it as a household name in online legal services.
They have many products and services available – they can help you with LLC formation, LLC operating agreements, nonprofit organizations, trademarks and copyrights, patents and intellectual property, divorce and bankruptcy, small claims filing – and even Wills, Trusts, Living Wills and Powers of Attorney.
They offer some lower cost DIY forms that can be downloaded for about $20 to $30 per form.
With LegalZoom, you get an automatic 30-minute legal consultation on products sold on their website (other sites do not offer this).
You also get a satisfaction guarantee – they will try to make it right if you are dissatisfied within 60 days of your purchase.
Cons:
You’ll be required to bundle your documents, spending several hours completing blank forms. There is no "build your own" option.
There are many upsells from LegalZoom that might confuse you into thinking you are getting a better deal than you are.
The finishes products can be pricey compared to what you may find elsewhere. For example, a legal consulting fee for estate plans is $39.99 at LegalZoom, whereas the same fee at Trust and Will is $39.
You cannot do a Trust in a single state. You will need to hire a lawyer to draft a Trust for you if you want one in a single state.
Trust & Will
Pros:
For the most part, Trust & Will is higher quality than other DIY online estate planning tools. Their software is very user friendly, and the site walks you through all the forms and questions seamlessly. You’ll likely finish in about 30 minutes or less.
Trust & Will is less expensive than most other online estate planning tools out there (around $160-$200 for a Will and $200-$300 for a Trust).
Trust & Will offers qualified advice from an estate planning lawyer for all orders. You’ll get a checklist of documents that you need to provide along with the completed order, and instructions on how to keep the documents secure.
Trust & Will offers a great satisfaction guarantee for consumers. If you’re not satisfied within 30 days, they’ll fix it (no questions asked).
Cons:
Trust & Will offers a few other services outside of estate planning, such as LLC formation and possible guardianship services. However, this is very limited.
Trust & Will just opened its doors, so they don’t have a very established reputation or long history.
The Trust & Will website has many upsells, and it might take some time to find everything you are looking for.
Who Each Service Is Best For
The choice between LegalZoom and Trust & Will may come down to a client’s specific needs. We’ve outlined some use cases where each service is particularly suited.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom may be the better option for clients with more complex needs. LegalZoom’s additional offerings such as their legal advice and business formation services, along with its strong reputation and brand recognition, are valuable differentiators. LegalZoom’s complex estate planning tool allows users to select from four levels of service based on complexity and need. In more complex situations, consumers may prefer to have an attorney review their situation in order to avoid any possibility of errors and for greater peace of mind. For larger estates or those in a business with complex beneficiary designations, having access to a licensed attorney is important.
Trusted Users
Trust & Will is a great fit for less complex estate planning needs. We feel comfortable recommending this service for most clients with simple estates (real estate, bank & retirement accounts) and straightforward family dynamics. Trust & Will has been well-reviewed as providing high-quality wills and trusts. We advise that consumers avoid using them for business entities, guardianship provisions, or advance healthcare directives.
As a newly launched service, and on certain occasions where we have had issues, we have found Trust & Will’s customer service struggles. Further research will be needed in the future here.
The Winner…
When it comes to selecting the right service for your estate plan, the decision boils down to your individual needs, preferences, and financial situation.
If you’re looking for a basic will and are comfortable doing most of the work yourself, LegalZoom could be right for you. It covers all the essential documents, is easy to use, and is affordable. LegalZoom will even connect you to an estate planning attorney if more complex issues arise. On Trust & Will’s end, there’s no provision for attorney-matching, the document process isn’t quite as straightforward, and they focus exclusively on wills and trusts. Further , the $39 for a trust deed or $69 for a will, is considerably higher than LegalZoom’s offerings. If you need consultation with an attorney and guidance from start to finish, though, Trust & Will is a good option.
For people who have more complex assets or are seeking guidance from a specialist during the process, an attorney is usually the best way to go. If you want an attorney for a more affordable price, and don’t mind communicating mostly via a secure portal, then consider Trust & Will.
Both of these options provide an affordable way to simplify your estate planning without having to visit a traditional estate planning attorney’s office.
