Originally published: April 12, 2018 | Last updated: December 22, 2025
Why Is There a Will-Writing Gap for Your Clients?
If you work in finance, insurance, the funeral industry, charity, financial literacy, or senior services, you already know your clients need estate planning documents. The problem is familiar: you discuss the importance of a Will, your client agrees, promises to get it done — and a year later, nothing has changed.
The numbers confirm the scale of this gap. A USLegalWills.com-commissioned survey found:
- 71.6% of Americans do not have an up-to-date Will
- 63% have no Will at all
- Even among Americans over 65, only half have an up-to-date Will
- Wealthy Americans are no more likely to have a current Will — they are actually more likely to have an outdated one
Traditional barriers — high cost ($800+ for an attorney) and inconvenience (booking appointments, coordinating with a spouse) — keep people from acting. USLegalWills.com removes both barriers, and our affiliate program lets you offer this solution directly to your clients.
Why Do Your Clients Need a Will?
A Last Will and Testament serves two critical functions: appointing people to key roles (Executor, guardians for children) and describing the distribution of the estate. Without one, three things go wrong:
| Problem | What Happens Without a Will |
|---|---|
| No estate administrator | Confusion, in-fighting, family members helping themselves to possessions. Courts eventually appoint an administrator, but damage may already be done. |
| No guardian for children | A judge appoints a guardian based on limited information — relationship, income, age — without knowing parenting philosophies, spiritual beliefs, or existing relationships. |
| No distribution plan | State intestacy laws distribute the estate according to a formula that rarely matches what the person would have wanted. In most states, a spouse does not automatically receive everything. |
For example, in Alabama: if you are married with two children (ages 21 and 19) and an estate worth $500,000, your spouse receives the first $50,000 plus half the remainder. Your 19-year-old receives $150,000 outright. This is almost never what the person would have planned.
What Will-Writing Options Exist Today?
| Approach | Cost | Quality | Convenience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blank form / DIY kit | $0–$20 | Low — high error rate, generic templates | High |
| Estate planning attorney | $800–$1,000+ | High — includes legal advice | Low — requires appointments |
| Online Will service (USLegalWills.com) | $39.95 | High — same software as attorneys, state-specific | High — 20 minutes, any device |
A UK study found that using an attorney was no more likely to produce a well-drafted Will than using a quality online service. The key advantage of an attorney is legal advice — but most people do not need legal advice to prepare a Will. We conservatively estimate that 95% of US adults could have their estate planning needs met by USLegalWills.com.
What Services Does USLegalWills.com Offer?
USLegalWills.com has offered estate planning services since 2003 and adds major enhancements every year. The current service portfolio includes:
- Last Will and Testament — comprehensive, state-specific Will writing
- Financial Power of Attorney — appoint someone to manage finances if incapacitated
- Living Will — document health care wishes in advance
- MyKeyholder — name trusted individuals who can access parts of your account at the appropriate time
- MyMessages — prepare messages for delivery after you pass away
- MyLifeLocker — document and itemize all assets for your Executor
- MyVault — upload important files to a secure digital vault
- Expat Will service — for overseas assets
All services are available for all US states except Louisiana. At $39.95 with one year of unlimited updates, USLegalWills.com is one of the most affordable and comprehensive services available.
What Partnership Options Are Available?
USLegalWills.com offers three levels of affiliate integration, from simple to fully branded:
Option 1: Affiliate Links and Banners
The simplest option — up and running in minutes. Sign up for an affiliate account and receive code snippets for banner ads and links to embed in your website. Default terms: clients receive a 15% discount, and you earn a 15% commission.
You do not need a website for this to work — the affiliate reference code can be shared on printed collateral or verbally. Example code: BLOG15.
Option 2: Embedded iFrame Service
Embed the entire USLegalWills.com service within an iFrame on your website. Your clients complete their estate planning documents without ever leaving your site. Code snippets are provided — no advanced programming skills required. Payments are processed by USLegalWills.com. Many charities have chosen this option.
Option 3: Full White-Label API
The most sophisticated option. Offer USLegalWills.com services entirely under your own brand. You set your own pricing and process payments directly. Implementation requires a few days of development effort, and technical documentation is available on our partner webpage.
What Does the Affiliate Dashboard Include?
Your affiliate account provides ongoing reporting and analytics:
- Click tracking: Number of people who clicked your affiliate link
- Conversion data: Number of clicks that resulted in completed Wills
- Commission reports: Downloadable reports of every user, with commissions earned and total revenues
- Performance metrics: Some affiliates achieve conversion rates as high as 14%
Who Benefits from This Partnership?
The affiliate program creates a three-way benefit:
| Party | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Your clients | Access to affordable, convenient estate planning with a discount. Will writing that previously cost $800+ and required appointments is now $39.95 and takes 20 minutes. |
| Your business | Extended service offering at zero cost. New revenue stream from commissions. Some affiliates cover their clients’ Will costs entirely as a perk; others charge a premium for the bundled service. |
| USLegalWills.com | Wider audience reach through trusted industry partners. |
Current affiliate partners include funeral services providers, online financial services companies, charities, tax preparers, innovative digital startups, and financial advisors.
How Do You Get Started as an Affiliate?
- Visit the dedicated partner webpage
- Review the three partnership options and decide which fits your organization
- Sign up for an affiliate account
- Embed your links, banners, iFrame, or API integration
- Start earning commissions from day one
The simplest option takes just a few minutes to implement. For more complex integrations, our locally based support team is available to help at every step. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions.
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He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets, and has contributed to articles in The New York Times, NY Metro Parents, U.S. News & World Report, and other leading publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books.
Throughout his career, Tim has written extensively on the subject of Will writing and estate planning.
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