Wills and trusts
The paperwork that decides what your life insurance actually does
A beneficiary designation generally overrides a will. That one fact undoes more estate plans than anything else we see. Getting the documents and the designations to agree with each other is most of the work — and it is work you can do.
Read this first
What an estate plan is made of
Six pieces of paper, six different jobs
Not everyone needs all of them, and nobody can tell you which you need without knowing your situation and your state. What matters most is the second half of each card — the job it does not do.
Six estate documents, each shown with the one job it does and the thing people wrongly assume it covers: a will, a guardian nomination, a financial power of attorney, a healthcare directive, a revocable living trust, and beneficiary designations.
What this does not show: Your state. Estate law is state law, and the names, the formalities and the way probate works all change at the state line. Treat this as the shape of the thing, not as advice about your own documents.
The part we are actually best at
Your beneficiary designations beat your will
Life insurance and retirement accounts generally pass by designation, not by will. If the form at the carrier says one thing and your will says another, the form usually wins.
Designations made years ago outlive marriages, divorces, births and deaths, because nobody sends you a reminder. We pull the actual designations, read them with you, and help you correct the ones that no longer say what you meant.
Who does what
- You
- Answer the questions and complete your own documents on the platform, then sign and store them properly. Self-help means you are the author.
- The document platform
- Guided software that walks you through each document and produces it. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
- Quantum Family Wealth
- Introduces the platform, helps you see what is missing, and makes sure your beneficiary designations line up with what your documents say. We are an insurance agency. We do not practise law and we do not give legal advice.
- A qualified attorney
- Advises you. Anyone with legal questions, a complicated family situation, tax concerns, special-needs planning, a business to pass on, or a larger estate should speak to one before relying on any form.
The document platform
Documents you prepare yourself, guided step by step
Snug Estate Planning is a guided self-help platform operated by Snug, Inc.. You answer questions and it produces your documents. It is software, not a lawyer, and it is honest about that.
Each plan is expected to include the documents below. We confirm exactly what your plan contains before you pay for anything.
Will-based estate plan
Provisional- Last Will and Testament
- Financial Power of Attorney
- Living Will or advance healthcare directive
- HIPAA authorisation
- One year of document updates
We are not publishing prices for these yet. We would rather quote you once the plan details are confirmed than put a number on a page and change it. Ask on a call and we will tell you exactly what it costs.
Trust-based estate plan
Provisional- Revocable Living Trust
- Certification of Trust
- Schedule of Assets
- Pour-Over Will
- Financial Power of Attorney
- Living Will or advance healthcare directive
- HIPAA authorisation
- One year of document updates
We are not publishing prices for these yet. We would rather quote you once the plan details are confirmed than put a number on a page and change it. Ask on a call and we will tell you exactly what it costs.
Starting your documents
Estate documents are prepared by you, using a guided self-help platform provided by Snug, Inc. (Snug Estate Planning). Snug is not a law firm and Quantum Family Wealth is not a law firm. Neither provides legal advice, and neither becomes your attorney when you use the platform.
Estate-document checkout is switched off while the arrangement with the platform provider is being confirmed.
The Snug Estate Planning portal address has not been confirmed yet, so there is nowhere for this button to send you.
In the meantime, book a conversation and we will tell you where things stand.
Estate-planning documents. Estate-planning document technology is provided through Snug, Inc. Quantum Family Wealth, Quantum Wealth Builders LLC, and Snug are not law firms and do not provide legal advice. The platform provides guided self-help forms and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Clients with legal questions, complex family circumstances, tax concerns, special-needs planning needs, business-succession needs, or other complex estates should consult a qualified attorney.
Estate-planning documents. Estate-planning document technology is provided through Snug, Inc. Quantum Family Wealth, Quantum Wealth Builders LLC, and Snug are not law firms and do not provide legal advice. The platform provides guided self-help forms and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Clients with legal questions, complex family circumstances, tax concerns, special-needs planning needs, business-succession needs, or other complex estates should consult a qualified attorney.
About the estate-planning platform. Snug Estate Planning is operated by Snug, Inc. and provides guided self-help forms that you complete yourself. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Snug, Inc. states that it is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. You contract with the platform provider for the documents; Quantum Family Wealth introduces the service and helps you organise what you already have.
When self-help is the wrong tool
Some situations need a real lawyer
Guided forms are genuinely useful for a straightforward situation, and genuinely inadequate for a complicated one. We would rather tell you that up front than sell you a form that does not fit.
If any of these describe you, talk to a qualified attorney. We can still help with the insurance and the beneficiary side while you do.
- A blended family, an estranged relative, or anyone you intend to leave out
- A child or dependant with special needs, where an outright inheritance can affect benefits
- A business you want to pass on, or a buy-sell agreement to coordinate with
- Property in more than one state, or outside the United States
- An estate large enough for estate tax to be a live question
- Anything you would describe as contested, complicated or unusual
What this is not
- It is not legal advice, and nobody here becomes your attorney.
- It is not a review of your documents by a lawyer.
- It does not fund a trust for you. A trust only controls assets actually retitled into it, and that is a separate job involving deeds, account changes and paperwork.
- It does not file anything with a court or a state agency on your behalf.
- It cannot promise a document will hold up in every circumstance. Signing and witnessing rules differ by state, and following them is part of your job.
What Quantum receives from this arrangement: Quantum pays Snug an annual fee for access to the platform, and charges a flat fee for the document package. That fee is how Quantum is paid for setting the plan up and walking you through it. Quantum does not receive a commission or a referral payment from Snug. A trust-based plan costs more than a will-based plan, so Quantum earns more on one than the other — worth knowing when you weigh the recommendation, and a reason to ask why a trust is being suggested if it is.
Start with what you already have
The readiness check takes about three minutes, gives you a checklist you can take to a professional, and does not ask for your email.
Important information
Educational information. The information on this page is general and educational. It is not insurance, tax or legal advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy, keep, change or cancel any policy. Your own situation may lead to a different conclusion. Please talk with a licensed professional before acting.
Estate-planning documents. Estate-planning document technology is provided through Snug, Inc. Quantum Family Wealth, Quantum Wealth Builders LLC, and Snug are not law firms and do not provide legal advice. The platform provides guided self-help forms and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Clients with legal questions, complex family circumstances, tax concerns, special-needs planning needs, business-succession needs, or other complex estates should consult a qualified attorney.
About the estate-planning platform. Snug Estate Planning is operated by Snug, Inc. and provides guided self-help forms that you complete yourself. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Snug, Inc. states that it is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. You contract with the platform provider for the documents; Quantum Family Wealth introduces the service and helps you organise what you already have.
Tax and legal information. Quantum Family Wealth does not provide tax or legal advice. Tax treatment depends on how a policy is structured, whether it stays in force, your individual circumstances and applicable law, all of which can change. Please consult your own qualified tax adviser and attorney.