1. Why So Many Seniors Put Off Writing a Will

If you don’t have a signed will yet, you’re not alone. Surveys on estate planning consistently find that a majority of U.S. adults — including a large share of people over 55 — either have no will at all or are working from one that’s badly out of date. The two reasons people give most often are cost and hassle: hiring an attorney to draft even a simple will can easily run several hundred dollars, and more complex plans with trusts can climb well past a thousand.

The problem is that “I’ll get to it eventually” has real consequences. If you die without a valid will, state intestacy law — not your own wishes — decides who inherits your property, who becomes guardian of any dependents, and in what order relatives get paid. That can mean assets going to estranged family members, a surviving partner you weren’t legally married to receiving nothing, or a longer, more expensive probate process for the people you leave behind.

The good news: you no longer need a five-figure law firm retainer to put a basic, legally valid will in place. AARP — a well-known nonprofit serving people 50 and older — points its members toward both a free planning kit and several reputable low-cost DIY will services. Here’s how each one actually works.

2. AARP Foundation’s Free Personal Estate Planning Kit

AARP Foundation — the charitable arm of AARP — offers a free Personal Estate Planning Kit through its gift planning program. It’s genuinely free: you provide your name and email address, and the kit is emailed or made available to download, with no purchase or AARP membership required.

The kit is made up of two parts:

• A Lesson Book, which walks through the basics of setting estate planning goals, ways to reduce potential tax obligations, and an introduction to how trusts work.
• A Record Book, which acts as a central place to write down account numbers, insurance policies, property details, passwords for digital accounts, and your wishes for care and final arrangements — the kind of information your family would otherwise have to hunt for later.

One important distinction: this kit is an educational and organizing tool, not a legal document generator. It says so explicitly — it’s presented as general information, not a substitute for professional tax, estate planning, or legal advice. In other words, filling out the Record Book does not, by itself, create a will. Think of it as the homework you do before you sit down to actually write and sign a will using one of the services below, or before you meet with an attorney.

3. FreeWill and Other Low-Cost DIY Will Services AARP Points To

For the actual legal document, AARP’s own guidance highlights a handful of online services that let you build a will yourself, typically in well under an hour. Costs and features vary, so it’s worth comparing them side by side before you pick one.

Service	Typical Cost	Format	Good Fit For
FreeWill	$0 for a basic will	Free online questionnaire	Simple estates on a strict budget
LegalZoom	About $69 (basic will) to $149 (package with living trust and related documents)	Online questionnaire, one-time fee	People who also want a living trust bundled in
Quicken WillMaker	About $80 one-time purchase	Downloadable software	People who prefer working offline or updating documents repeatedly
Rocket Lawyer	About $40/month membership (cancel once finished)	Online platform with ongoing document access	People who also want other legal documents (power of attorney, healthcare directive) in the same visit

A quick, honest note on member perks: AARP membership can come with discounts on certain financial and legal services from time to time, including estate-planning-related offers. Exact discount amounts change and aren’t fixed, so rather than quote a specific percentage here, check AARP’s current member benefits page or your AARP membership account before you pay for any service — the deal that applies today may not match what applies six months from now.

Whichever service you use, none of them replace the final legal steps: printing, signing, and having your will witnessed (and in some states, notarized) according to your state’s rules. More on that in a moment.

4. What a DIY Online Will Can — and Can’t — Handle

DIY will services work well for a lot of people, but they’re not the right tool for every situation. Use this quick self-check:

• A DIY will is probably fine if: you have a relatively simple estate, you’re in your first marriage (or single), you don’t own a business, and your beneficiaries are straightforward — spouse, children, or a short list of relatives and charities.
• Talk to an estate planning attorney instead if: you have significant assets or multiple properties, you’re part of a blended family or have been married more than once, you have a beneficiary with special needs who could lose eligibility for government benefits if they inherit directly, or you own a business with partners or complex succession questions.

One detail people frequently miss: beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, 401(k)s, IRAs, and life insurance policies override whatever your will says. If your ex-spouse is still listed as the beneficiary on an old 401(k), that account goes to them regardless of what your new will states. Updating those designations directly with each account provider is a separate — and just as important — step.

5. State Rules You Can’t Skip

A will you create online isn’t finished until it’s properly executed under your state’s law, and those requirements aren’t identical everywhere. Some states require two adult witnesses to watch you sign; some allow (or require) a notarized “self-proving affidavit” that can make probate faster later; a few states still recognize handwritten wills under specific conditions. Getting this step wrong is one of the most common reasons a DIY will ends up being contested or rejected.

If you split time between two states, or between the U.S. and Canada, it’s also worth confirming that your will remains valid in your new location — some people re-sign or update their will after a permanent move just to be safe. Most DIY will services will walk you through your specific state’s signing requirements as part of the process, but it’s worth double-checking against your state bar association’s public guidance or a local attorney before you finalize anything.

6. Step-by-Step: Get a Basic Will Done This Week

Here’s a realistic timeline for going from “I’ve been meaning to do this” to “it’s signed and stored”:

• Step 1 — Gather your information (Day 1). Use the Record Book from AARP Foundation’s free kit, or just a notepad, to list your accounts, property, insurance policies, and who you want as beneficiaries.
• Step 2 — Pick a service based on how simple your estate is (Day 1–2). Straightforward estate: FreeWill or Quicken WillMaker. Want a living trust too: LegalZoom. Want multiple legal documents at once: Rocket Lawyer.
• Step 3 — Name an executor and, if needed, a guardian (Day 2–3). Ask the person first — don’t just assume they’re willing to serve as your executor or as guardian for a dependent.
• Step 4 — Sign according to your state’s rules (Day 3–5). Line up your witnesses (and a notary, if your state requires or allows one) before you sit down to sign — most delays happen here, not in the writing itself.
• Step 5 — Store the original safely and tell someone where it is (Day 5–7). A will nobody can find is nearly as bad as no will at all. Tell your executor, or leave clear written instructions with your other important papers.

In practice, most of the “hassle” people dread is really just steps 1 and 4 — gathering information and lining up witnesses. Once those two pieces are ready, the actual document usually takes well under an hour to complete.

7. If You Need More Than a Will — Free & Low-Cost Legal Help

If your situation checked any of the “see an attorney” boxes above — a blended family, a special-needs beneficiary, Medicaid planning, or a complex estate — it’s worth looping in an elder law attorney rather than relying on a DIY template. These situations involve legal nuances that a general online will service isn’t built to handle.

If cost is the barrier, you may still have options. Many areas have a local Area Agency on Aging that can point you toward free or reduced-fee legal help for older adults, and legal aid societies in most states offer income-qualified assistance with wills and basic estate planning. It’s worth a phone call before assuming a lawyer is out of reach.

For most people with a straightforward estate, though, the path is simpler: start with AARP Foundation’s free Personal Estate Planning Kit to get organized, then finish the job with a free or low-cost DIY will service.