How Does Trusty Fit With My Will & Estate Plan?

Quick Answer

Your Will is a legal document that outlines who gets what after you pass away. Trusty doesn’t replace your Will, it works alongside it.

Trusty is your Estate Binder: a single place to securely store and reference your Will, keep the most up-to-date version accessible, and organize the broader estate information your family, executor, and advisors will need. It also gives you space to capture the stories, context, and wishes your Will was never meant to hold, so the people you love aren’t left guessing when it matters most.

What a Will Does (And Is Designed to Do)

A Will serves a clear and important legal purpose. It names your executor, designates guardians for minor children, and specifies how your assets should be distributed. It’s an enforceable document that guides probate and ensures your wishes are carried out according to the law.

In other words, your Will answers the essential legal questions: who receives what, who’s responsible, and how decisions should be handled. If you have one, you’ve already done something many people never get to. It’s a foundational step in caring for the people you love.

For a high-level, non-legal overview of estate planning and preparing important documents, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) offers accessible, family-focused guidance on how wills and related planning tools are typically used in the United States.

In Canada, the Government of Canada provides clear, plain-language information on what a will is, how it works, and why it matters as part of estate planning.

What a Will Doesn’t Capture (And Why That Matters)

Wills are designed for courtrooms, not living rooms. They’re built to be legally precise, not emotionally complete — and that’s intentional.

A Will doesn’t explain why you made certain decisions. It doesn’t tell your family where to find insurance policies, account details, or important documents. It can’t capture the story behind your grandmother’s ring, a family cottage, or a collection that mattered deeply to you.

A Will answers legal questions. Families still have practical and emotional ones.

Most importantly, a Will doesn’t give your loved ones a single, clear place to start. Instead, they’re often left piecing together scattered documents, emails, conversations, and best guesses — usually during an already overwhelming time.

The Estate Binder Most Families Don’t Have

Many estate planners recommend creating what’s often called an Estate Binder: a centralized place to organize key documents, important information, and guidance for your family, executor, and advisors.

You may hear it called different things: an estate organizer, a legacy binder, a death binder, or even a life binder. The names vary, but the idea is the same: a single place someone could go to understand your affairs if they needed to step in.

In theory, it’s meant to hold everything your family or executor would need to find answers without searching through filing cabinets, email inboxes, or half-remembered conversations.

In theory, it’s a great idea.

In practice, most people don’t actually have one.

Information lives in filing cabinets, email inboxes, safety deposit boxes, and conversations that were never written down. Families assume someone will “figure it out,” but when the time comes, there’s often no clear starting point.

Trusty is designed to be your Estate Binder, and is built for how we actually live today.

It gives you one organized place to reference documents, record what you own, note where things are located, and share information your family, executor, or advisors will need. Not as a stack of papers, but as something you can update over time, in your own words.

Your Will vs. a Letter of Wishes: A Clear Comparison That Makes a Big Difference

What Is a Letter of Wishes?

A Letter of Wishes is a personal, non-binding document that sits alongside your Will. It’s a place to explain decisions, share context, and offer guidance that doesn’t belong in formal legal language.

You may also hear this type of document referred to as a letter of memorandum or a personal memorandum. While the terminology varies, the purpose is the same: to capture intent, explanation, and personal guidance that legal documents aren’t designed to hold.

People often use a Letter of Wishes to explain why certain choices were made, share stories about meaningful items, or offer personal guidance to executors and family members navigating complex or emotional decisions.

Is a Letter of Wishes Legally Binding?

No — and that’s by design.

A Letter of Wishes isn’t legally enforceable, which means it doesn’t override your Will or carry weight in court. That flexibility is what makes it useful. You can be personal, change it over time, and include details that would feel out of place in a legal document.

Will vs. Letter of Wishes

Your Will is legally binding, formal to create or update, and focuses on legal distribution using structured legal language for courts and probate.

• Legally binding
• Formal to create or update
• Focuses on legal distribution of assets
• Written in legal language
• Guides courts and the probate process

Your Letter of Wishes is not legally binding, easy to update, and captures personal context and guidance in your own voice to help family, executor, and decision-makers.

• Not legally binding
• Easy to update at any time
• Focuses on context, intent, and personal guidance
• Written in your own voice
• Guides family members and decision-makers

Both serve important roles. Your Will provides legal structure. A Letter of Wishes provides human context.

How Trusty Uses Letters of Wishes to Go Further

This is where Trusty goes beyond a traditional Letter of Wishes.

Trusty is designed to capture Letters of Wishes across many parts of your life, not just assets. It gives you space to share guidance, preferences, and personal context your Will was never meant to formalize.

This may include things like:

• Assets and heirlooms, assigning them to an heir and explaining why they matter
• End-of-life or memorial preferences, such as tone, wishes, or considerations you don’t want locked into legal language
• Care guidance for loved ones or dependents, including routines, relationships, or details that help others step in thoughtfully
• Personal values or messages, shared in writing or video, for the people who matter most

Each entry focuses on clarity and understanding, not legal instruction, so your wishes are understood, not just recorded.

Trusty captures the full story of your estate and your life, not just legal distribution.

Your family doesn’t just inherit responsibilities or belongings. They inherit clarity, reassurance, and your perspective — shared thoughtfully, without formality.

Because none of this is legally binding, you can add to it and update it as life changes. No lawyers. No redrafting documents. No pressure to get it perfect.

Can I Update My Wishes Without Changing My Will?

Yes — and this is one of the biggest advantages of using Trusty alongside your Will.

Legal documents are meant to change infrequently. That’s a good thing. They require care, review, and formal execution.

Life, on the other hand, changes all the time.

New relationships, new purchases, shifting priorities, evolving thoughts. Trusty gives you a flexible place to reflect those changes without reopening legal documents every time you want to add context or explain a decision.

Your Will remains the legal foundation. Trusty provides the living layer around it.

How Advisors and Executors See This

Estate attorneys and financial advisors increasingly recognize that legal documents alone don’t fully prepare families for what comes next.

Even the most carefully drafted will can leave people unsure if no one knows where documents are or why certain decisions were made. Executors are left searching. Families are left wondering.

Trusty doesn’t replace professional advice or interfere with legal planning. It helps reduce confusion, improve preparedness, and give everyone involved clearer information to work from.

It’s a practical tool that makes an already difficult process more human and more manageable.

How to Start (Without Overthinking It)

You don’t need to document everything at once. You don’t need perfect language. You don’t need to have it all figured out.

A simple place to start:

• Upload your Will to Trusty — or note where it’s located
• Add one meaningful item —this could be a piece of art, jewelry or a special family heirloom
• Write a few sentences or record a short message explaining why it matters

That’s enough. Truly.

Trusty isn’t about finishing your estate plan. It’s about giving your family a clearer place to start and continuing every time you’re inspired, without incurring more legal fees

You can return anytime to add more, update details, or reflect changes as life unfolds.

People Also Ask

Do I need a Letter of Wishes if I already have a Will?
If you already have a Will, a Letter of Wishes helps add context and explanation that legal documents aren’t designed to capture.

Is a Letter of Wishes legally binding?
No. A Letter of Wishes is not legally binding, which allows you to be personal, flexible, and update it as life changes.

What should I include in a Letter of Wishes?
Many people include explanations for decisions, guidance for family or executors, stories behind meaningful items, and personal wishes that don’t belong in legal language. Over time, Trusty will support more of the real-life topics families think about when planning ahead. Grow with us!

Can I change my wishes without changing my Will?
Yes. You can update your wishes at any time without modifying your Will, which is designed to change less frequently.

How do I connect my Letter of Wishes to my Will?
Many people reference their Letter of Wishes directly in their Will. Trusty provides simple, templated language you can share with your lawyer the next time your Will is updated, so there’s a clear reference point, while keeping the Letter of Wishes separate and easy to update over time.

You’ve already done important work by creating a Will. Trusty simply builds on that foundation.

It’s not about urgency or obligation. It’s about care, clarity, and connection — shared in your own words, on your own time.

Start your Estate Binder with Trusty — it’s free, and you can move at your own pace.

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