Estate Planning, Wills, and Trusts

This Guide is designed to assist non-lawyer patrons in understanding, formulating, and drafting their own estate plans. It has been specifically created for those individuals who do not have a legal background. The resources listed here are by no means definitive, but will give readers a strong overview of estate planning and permit them to draft simple estate planning documents. If you have further questions after reviewing these materials, please see a reference librarian for assistance.

The term estate planning is used in this guide to mean drafting a will or a trust that will distribute your assets upon your death. This guide presents some general resources, located in this library, that will provide you with guidance on this topic. This guide also includes some forms that can be used to draft a will or trust. Please note that there are legal dictionaries located throughout the first floor of the library on top of the shelves if you encounter a legal term that you are unfamiliar with.