🗂️

Scorecard

Which Estate Documents Are You Missing?

AARP and Caring.com surveys consistently report only about 1 in 3 US adults have all the core estate documents in place, with the most common gaps in healthcare directives and updated beneficiary designations. Inventory your estate documents across will and trust, powers of attorney, healthcare documents, beneficiary designations, and guardianship across ten questions to see which specific documents are most likely missing. This is general information, not legal advice.

Last updated: May 2026

An estate document completeness score is a 0 to 100 inventory of the specific documents most households need: will and trust, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, healthcare directives, current beneficiary designations, and guardianship or special-planning instruments. US adults with full core document set typically target About 1 in 3.

📊 Your visitors see this on your website. Add this tool to your website. Visitors complete it, you capture their data as qualified leads. See plans →

✓ Used by 2,400+ businesses✓ 30-50% visitor conversion rate✓ 60-second embed setup

↑ This is exactly what your website visitors see when you embed this tool. The only difference: their results are gated behind an email capture form, and every input is sent to your CRM.

What is Estate Document Completeness Score?

An estate document completeness score is a 0 to 100 inventory of the specific documents most households need: will and trust, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, healthcare directives, current beneficiary designations, and guardianship or special-planning instruments. It surfaces which documents are likely missing; an attorney prepares the ones that are.

The Formula

Score = Weighted Sum (Will and Trust + Powers of Attorney + Healthcare + Beneficiaries + Guardianship and Special)

Beneficiary designations are the most-often-missed category because they live on financial-institution paperwork rather than in the estate plan itself, and they override what the will says.

Worked Example

A respondent with a current will, no trust, an old general POA covering finance and healthcare combined, no living will, retirement beneficiaries last reviewed 6 years ago, guardian named for two minor children.

Will and Trust: 7 (will current, no trust)
Powers of Attorney: 5 (combined POA only)
Healthcare: 0 (no advance directive)
Beneficiaries: 3 (out of date)
Guardianship: 10 (named)

📌 Score around 50. Two highest-leverage gaps are a current advance directive and refreshed beneficiary designations. This is general information, not legal advice.

Why This Matters

Beneficiary designations override wills

Retirement accounts, life insurance, and TOD/POD accounts pass directly to named beneficiaries regardless of will provisions. An out-of-date designation (an ex-spouse, deceased family member) is one of the most painful estate-planning mistakes.

Healthcare and financial POAs serve different roles

Healthcare POA names a person to make medical decisions; financial POA names someone for finances and property. Most states recognize them as separate documents, and combining them in one general POA is no longer the modern best practice.

Common Mistakes

❌ Treating one combined general POA as sufficient

A separate healthcare POA is the standard practice in most states; the documents serve different functions and combining them can create gaps in either domain.

❌ Forgetting to update beneficiaries after life events

Marriage, divorce, birth, death, and job changes all warrant a beneficiary review. Annual review during tax season is the most reliable cadence.

Industry Benchmarks

Category	Good	Average	Poor
US adults with full core document set	About 1 in 3	Less in younger cohorts	Very few under age 35
Most commonly missing documents	Address: advance directive, updated beneficiaries	Healthcare POA	No will at all
Basic full document package cost	$300-1,500 flat fee	$500-2,500	$2,500+ unless trust needed

Source: AARP Estate Planning Surveys and Caring.com Wills and Estate Planning Survey

Benchmark data sourced from AARP Estate Planning Surveys and Caring.com Wills and Estate Planning Survey.

Comparing static form deployments to interactive tool deployments surfaces a consistent pattern: businesses that replace static forms with interactive tools like this one see 3-5x more qualified leads, visitors volunteer their data because they get personalized results in return.

See All Scorecard Tools →

One of the most common mistakes we see when working with clients: treating one combined general poa as sufficient. A separate healthcare POA is the standard practice in most states; the documents serve different functions and combining them can create gaps in either domain.

Embed This Scorecard on Your Website

Every visitor who uses your embedded scorecard becomes a qualified lead. Their inputs, results, and business data are captured and sent to your CRM, before you ever pick up the phone.

Lead CaptureCRM IntegrationBranded PDF ReportsIndustry Benchmarks

See Plans & Pricing →Compare Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the core estate planning documents most adults need?

The standard core set is: a will, a durable power of attorney for finances, a healthcare power of attorney, an advance directive (living will), and current beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance. Households with minor children also need guardianship designations. Higher-complexity situations add a revocable living trust, special-needs trust, or business-succession documents.

Do beneficiary designations override what a will says?

Yes, in almost all cases. Retirement accounts (401k, IRA), life insurance, and accounts with transfer-on-death or payable-on-death designations pass directly to the named beneficiary regardless of what your will says. Out-of-date beneficiary designations (an ex-spouse, a deceased family member) are one of the most common and most painful estate-planning mistakes. Review annually.

Can I draft estate documents myself using online services?

For simple situations (single, no children, modest assets), online platforms (LegalZoom, Trust and Will, NoLo) can produce a valid will or directive for a fraction of attorney cost. As soon as family complexity (blended families, minor children, special-needs beneficiaries), significant assets, or multi-state property are involved, an estate attorney typically pays back through avoiding instrument errors and probate complications. This is general information, not legal advice.

How is a healthcare power of attorney different from an advance directive?

A healthcare power of attorney names a specific person to make medical decisions on your behalf if you cannot. An advance directive (also called a living will) records your specific wishes about end-of-life care, life support, and similar decisions. The two complement each other; most estate plans include both, and most states recognize them as separate documents.

Related Tools

📜

How Ready Is Your Estate Plan?

Gallup and Caring.com surveys consistently show only about half of US adults have a will, with gaps highest among adults under 50 and parents of minor children. Score your estate-planning readiness across core documents, family situation, asset coverage, healthcare and incapacity documents, and recency to see which gap to close first with a licensed estate attorney.

🧭

Which Type of Lawyer Do You Need?

There are nine main practice areas an everyday consumer typically needs at some point: personal injury, family, criminal defense, estate, business, employment, immigration, real estate, and bankruptcy. Answer five questions about your situation, urgency, context, budget, and goal to see which type of attorney best fits your matter so your first booking is with the right specialist.

🏢

Does Your Business Need an Attorney?

SBA small-business research shows businesses with regular legal counsel face materially lower rates of contract disputes, employment lawsuits, and regulatory penalties than those without. Answer six questions about your stage, contract volume, employees, IP, disputes, and risk exposure to see whether ongoing counsel, as-needed counsel, or templates plus a single consult is the right fit for your business today. This is general information, not legal advice.

💔

Which Divorce Process Suits Your Situation?

Divorce process choice (DIY uncontested, mediation, collaborative, traditional attorney-led, or contested litigation) usually matters more for total cost and timeline than the underlying divorce facts. Answer five questions about cooperation level, asset complexity, children, budget, and timeline to see which process is most likely to fit your situation. This is general information, not legal advice.

⚖️

Is Your Claim Worth Pursuing?

Most consumer civil disputes settle out of court, but only a fraction of valid claims are ever pursued because people are unsure whether the cost and effort are justified. Answer six questions about your dispute type, amount at stake, documentation, opposing party, timing, and prior resolution attempts to see whether your claim sounds worth a consultation, fits small claims, or is unlikely to be cost-effective. This is general information, not legal advice.

🧾

LLC or Sole Proprietor: Which Is Right For You?

IRS Statistics of Income data show roughly 60% of US small businesses operate as sole proprietorships and about 30% as LLCs, with the LLC share rising steadily as formation friction has dropped. Answer six questions about your liability exposure, revenue, partners, growth plans, risk tolerance, and state fees to see whether forming an LLC is likely worth it for you today. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

🗂️