What is Quicken WillMaker?
Quicken WillMaker is an online estate planning service that uses a comprehensive questionnaire to help you craft a personalized will. It’s owned by Nolo and is available online or as a software download. It offers three annual membership plans.
The service has over 35 additional estate planning documents available, including trusts, transfer on death deeds, health care directives and other financial management documents. Note that Quicken WillMaker is not available in Louisiana or U.S. territories, but it’s a top choice for a state-specific online will maker in any other state.
Deciding factors
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One-time fees: $0. Recurring fees:
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Last will and testament |
Included in all plans. |
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Living will |
Included in all plans. |
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Power of attorney |
Health care power of attorney included in all plans; durable power of attorney included in Plus and All Access plans. |
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Revocable living trust |
Included in Plus and All Access plans. |
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Access to live attorney |
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Customer service |
Customer support (but not legal advice) available via phone or email 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time Monday through Friday. Support receives 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot. |
What Quicken WillMaker looks like
Nolo’s Quicken WillMaker comes as downloadable desktop software or a cloud-based application. Both options use an interview-like process to help users create their documents.
Quicken WillMaker benefits
Comprehensive process
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User-friendly, clear process for creating an online will via an interview-like method.
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Documents can be revised at any time with an active membership.
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You can access your documents at any time, even if your membership isn’t active.
Final arrangements
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All plans include provisions for final arrangements, including funeral, burial and obituaries.
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Plus and All Access plans include a transfer on death deed.
Health directives
Quicken WillMaker drawbacks
Pricier than other options
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Annual membership fees are high compared with those of some other online will makers, some of which are free.
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Lowest-priced plan includes only a will, health care directives and final arrangements.
No attorney access
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Other online will makers offer attorney support for a fee or even for free.
Alternatives to Quicken WillMaker
Pricing
One-time fees:
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Will plan: $159 per individual or $259 for couples.
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Trust plan: $599 for individuals or $699 for couples (includes all documents in Will plan plus a revocable living trust).
Recurring fees:
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$19 annual membership fee for Will plan.
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$39 annual membership fee for Trust plan.
Why we like it: Trust & Will’s simple, user-friendly interface allows users to craft a will quickly and easily. Users can add HIPAA authorization, living will and power of attorney documents, and they can add a year of attorney support for $200. Users can download documents, but all documents also ship free for first-time users with state-specific notarization instructions.
Rocket Lawyer: Best customer service
One-time fees:
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$0. Free will template.
Recurring fees:
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$39.99 per month for legal support and the ability to make changes to your documents.
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$239.99 if billed annually.
Why we like it: Rocket Lawyer’s will maker service offers access to legal assistance via phone, email or online chat. A membership comes with access to a 30-minute lawyer consultation. The service also offers a free will template if you don’t need legal support or access to make changes in the future.
Pricing
One-time fees:
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$89 for Basic will plan.
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$99 for Comprehensive will plan.
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$249 for Estate Plan Bundle.
Recurring fees:
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$25 per month for legal advice with Comprehensive plan after first two weeks.
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$199 per year for legal advice with Estate Plan Bundle after first year.
Why we like it: LegalZoom has a team of independent attorneys available for legal advice in all 50 states, and those attorneys can be consulted for a monthly or annual fee, depending on your plan. You can make revisions to your documents for up to 30 days after purchase, and the company offers dozens of other legal services.
This post was originally published on Nerd Wallet
