Estate Planning &
Life Planning Guide
Estate planning is the process of deciding how property, authority, care instructions, and beneficiary wishes should be handled during life, at incapacity, and after death. For many families, that includes a living trust, a last will and testament, trustee designations, executor appointments, and asset-funding steps.
Last reviewed: March 18, 2026
Reviewed against: Public institutional trust, tax, and legal reference sources on the sources page.
Publisher: Larry Trustee AI Editorial Team | hello@larrytrustee.ai
Start With the Right Path
Choose the entry point that matches where you are in your planning journey.
Compare Core Documents
Start with the living trust vs. will guide to understand which documents you need.
Choose Trust Structures
Explore 29 trust types side-by-side and find the right structure for your goals.
Run Your Checklists
Use the estate planning checklist and trust funding checklist to stay on track.
Unlock Your Packet
Create an account and unlock your trust packet forms through the secure portal.
Why Estate Planning Matters
Clarity for Family
Clarifies who manages assets if incapacity or death occurs, reducing confusion for family members, trustees, and executors.
Probate Readiness
Can improve probate readiness and beneficiary coordination, potentially saving time and legal costs.
Asset Organization
Helps organize accounts, real estate, personal property, insurance decisions, and beneficiary designations in one place.
Living Trust vs. Last Will
Revocable Living Trust
Created during life. Can hold property before death. Avoids probate for funded assets. Can be amended or revoked. Manages assets at incapacity. Names successor trustee.
Last Will & Testament
Directs probate distributions after death. Names executors and guardians for minor children. Goes through court probate process. Can be used with a pour-over will to coordinate with a trust.
Common Estate Planning Goals
What Larry Trustee AI Helps Organize
AI Questionnaire
AI-guided trust questionnaire and trust recommendation workflow that walks you through key estate planning decisions.
Trust Packet
Living trust packet setup with 9 core documents and trust-specific add-on forms based on your chosen structure.
Supporting Documents
Certification of trust, schedule of assets, pour-over will worksheet, and last will and testament workflow.
Saved Progress
Account-based progress so you can save drafts, return later, and complete forms at your own pace.
⚠ Important Limits
Larry Trustee AI is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. State law, witnessing rules, notary rules, probate rules, and trust funding requirements vary. A licensed attorney should review the packet before use.