An estate plan is a legally enforceable set of guidelines designed to protect you and your loved ones in case of medical incapacity or death. It specifies who receives your assets, who makes medical decisions if you're unable to, and who cares for your children if needed. All of these decisions are laid out in a set of legal documents that must be followed by physicians, loved ones, and the legal system. It's your way of ensuring your wishes are followed and your family is protected. Without an estate plan, state laws determine these important decisions, which can lead to lengthy court proceedings and added stress for your family.

Estate plans come in two main forms: ones where asset distribution is decided by a will and ones where asset distribution is decided by a trust. A will names guardians and decision makers and can also direct who receives your assets, but it does require going through probate—a lengthy court process that typically takes a long time, costs thousands, and makes estate details public. A trust avoids probate, offering greater privacy and direct, speedy asset transfer to your loved ones. Better Off offers both types of estate plans.

Online estate planning provides the same legal documents as traditional attorneys but through a more accessible process. While traditional attorneys require office visits and charge high hourly rates, Better Off is a fully-online service designed by attorneys to create quality documents at a fraction of the cost. Once properly signed and notarized, our documents carry the same legal weight as those from a traditional attorney.

Better Off empowers you to create a plan that's best for your family in as little as 20 minutes, with progress automatically saved if you prefer to take more time. You'll only pay when you're ready to download your state-specific legal documents. Once notarized, your documents are legally effective in your state. Unlike attorneys that require payment per copy or platforms with limited downloads, you can review and update your plan anytime.

To create your estate plan, you'll be asked to provide basic information about your decision makers, beneficiaries, and family members, but only their names, birthdates, and email addresses. You'll also be asked to name and describe your assets, including descriptions and, for any real estate, addresses. You won't need to provide any other sensitive information like social security numbers, medical records, or financial account numbers. Better Off uses SOC 2 Type II security standards and HIPAA-compliant practices to protect the information you share, and processes payments securely through Stripe. Your personal data is never sold or shared with third parties, and you can delete your account data at any time.

Visit our support page to find other frequently asked questions about Better Off. If you are still experiencing an issue, please reach out to support@getbetteroff.com for assistance. Better Off also partners with licensed estate attorneys to provide additional attorney support. Attorney support can be purchased in addition to any Better Off Plan. Learn more about attorney support

Other online estate planning services offer a satisfaction guarantee because there’s a big mystery behind their payment page. You have to decide what type of estate plan you want, and pay full price for it, before you can experience their service. At Better Off, we believe too much of the reality of estate planning has been hidden for too long, so we give you the ability to experience the entire plan building process from start to finish before you have to pay. Payment is only required when you’re ready to download your estate plan documents for signing and notarization. We’re always seeking to make the process more transparent and successful for our customers, and if you are unsatisfied with your documents you can always request a refund from support@getbetteroff.com.