Estate planning is the top reason Americans reach out to a lawyer, first for a Will, then for a Trust, according to LegalShield Intelligence based on calls to its provider attorneys. Trusts are a surging topic growing seven-fold in the past decade. And in the age of AI, a new survey from LegalShield reports 7 in 10 consumers want a human lawyer, not just a computer, involved in their estate planning.
Top Estate Planning Stats
- Estate planning drives 1 in 6 legal inquiries, up from roughly 1 in 9 since 2016
- Inquiries about Trusts are up 7x in a decade, accounting for 1 in 5 estate planning calls
- 70% want an attorney involved in creating a Will (up from 39% in 2023)
- 94% of Americans believe a Will is important
- 46% of Americans have a Will
Come for a Will, Stay for the Trust
Estate planning drives 1 in 6 inquiries according to LegalShield Intelligence (LSI) data, sourced from approximately 150,000 consumer calls to LegalShield provider attorneys each month. LSI data is based on actual consumer behavior that lends insights beyond survey results.
“Our LSI data provides a realistic look into how consumers are acting on plans for their future and their family,” said Matt Layton, LegalShield senior vice president of Consumer Analytics. “The pandemic drove a significant 25% spike in estate planning in 2020, and the need continues to rise year over year.”
Wills are the first topic consumers ask about, but interest in Trusts has risen steadily over the past decade. Will inquiries represent just under half of all estate planning inquiries. Trust questions are up 7x in that timeframe as a share of estate plans, now accounting for almost 1 in 5 estate planning calls.
Amidst the Great Wealth Transfer, an estimated $124 trillion is expected to change hands in the U.S. through 2048 as Baby Boomers pass wealth to spouses, children, and grandchildren, according to independent research firm Cerulli Associates; more than $1 trillion is expected to move annually by the early 2030s. That scale, combined with blended families, multi-state assets, and staged inheritances (first to a surviving spouse, then to the next generation) pushes families to increasingly turn to Trusts to control how and when heirs receive assets, avoid probate delays, and protect that wealth as it moves through multiple transitions.
“People used to think Trusts were only for the ultra-wealthy. Not every family fits that distinction, but the Baby Boomer generation possess about half of the wealth in the country. Families want to have control of where that goes,” said Rebecca A. Carter, a LegalShield provider lawyer with Friedman, Framme & Thrush, PA. “They want to make sure money goes to the right people, at the right time, without a court process slowing everything down.”
A new survey from LegalShield reports that 21% of respondents have a Living Trust, 24% have a financial Power of Attorney, and 25% have a healthcare directive or Living Will. A third of respondents (33%) said they have none of these documents in place at all.
Trust a Human with a Trust
Americans want a real, live lawyer to help them write their estate planning documents. The survey reports 7 in 10 Americans (70%) want an attorney involved in creating their Will and estate planning documents, not just a do-it-yourself online solution; that preference nearly doubled from 39% in a 2023 LegalShield survey.
Only 16% of respondents to this year’s survey prefer a DIY online solution. Yet while almost all Americans (94%) believe a Will is important, fewer than half (46%) have one.
“People don’t come to me because they can’t fill out a form,” said Carter. “They come because they don’t know what they don’t know: who raises their kids and how to keep their family from fighting over what’s left. AI or a website can hand you a document. Only a lawyer can tell you whether it actually protects your family.”
Cost Isn’t the Real Barrier, Procrastination Is
Cost is often assumed to be the biggest barrier, and misperceptions are common: more than a quarter of respondents think a complete estate plan, including a Will, Power of Attorney, and healthcare directive, costs more than $2,500, and nearly one in five say they have no idea what it costs at all.
But cost isn’t the top reason people put off finishing their plan (15%). Among those missing a Living Trust, Power of Attorney, or healthcare directive, simple procrastination was the most common answer (27%), cited more often than cost, confusion (7%), or not knowing where to start (18%).
Multi-Generational Needs
Requests for help with aging parents, from Powers of Attorney to healthcare directives, are up 108% since 2022. Taken together with the survey findings, the pattern points to a broader shift: more Americans are thinking about estate planning not as a single document, but as an ongoing responsibility that spans generations.
What Actually Moves People to Act
The single biggest driver to create a Will is a health scare or diagnosis (47%), while more affordable options (24%) and simple ways to start (22%) are more likely to spur action than the death of a loved one (20%).
Two in three respondents (66%) said they’d be more likely to create a Will if their employer offered it as a benefit, though many weren’t sure whether their employer already does.
“Creating a Will is rarely as complicated as people expect,” Carter said. “Most of my clients walk away wondering why they waited so long. My advice is simple: don’t wait for a diagnosis or a loss to make you think about this. Take the first step now, while you still have the luxury of time to do it right.”
About the Data
LegalShield Intelligence (LSI) is a repository of anonymized data and insights based on more than 36 million inquiries for legal help from consumers since 2002. The data is based on approximately 150,000 calls to LegalShield provider attorneys each month.
The 2026 Estate Planning survey was conducted in July 2026 among 1,850 U.S. adults.
About LegalShield
For more than 50 years, LegalShield has provided everyday Americans with easy and affordable access to legal advice, counsel, protection, and representation. Serving millions, LegalShield is one of the world’s largest platforms for legal, identity, and reputation management services protecting individuals and businesses across North America. Founded in 1972, LegalShield and its privacy management product IDShield equip individuals, families, businesses, and employers with the tools they need to affordably live a just and secure life. Through technology and innovation, LegalShield is transforming how people access legal guidance, with hundreds of qualified attorneys and law firms across the country. To learn more, visit LegalShield.com and IDShield.com.
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