National Make-A-Will Month: Why August Is the Best Time to Finally Get a Will

Key Takeaways

• 56% of Americans have no estate planning documents at all, and only 26% have a will - down from 31% the year before, according to Trust & Will’s 2026 Estate Planning Report.
• There’s a wide “awareness-action gap”: 73% say estate planning is personally important, but most never actually complete a will.
• A will costs $300-$600 for a simple individual estate through an attorney, $1,000-$2,500 for a couple with kids or multiple properties, or is included as a membership benefit under many prepaid legal plans.

Every August, National Make-A-Will Month exists to close one specific, well-documented gap: most people know a will matters, and most people still don’t have one. See current LegalShield plans and pricing - will preparation is included as a core benefit on most tiers, which is exactly the kind of nudge this observance is built to prompt.

Why This Observance Exists in the First Place

National Make-A-Will Month was established to encourage exactly the group of people who agree wills matter but haven’t gotten around to it - which, per the numbers, is most of the country. It’s not a legal requirement or a formal deadline; it’s a yearly prompt, timed to give estate planning attention it doesn’t otherwise get outside of a health scare or a major life event.

The Numbers Behind Why This Month Matters

The gap between believing estate planning matters and actually doing it is the real story here. According to Trust & Will’s 2026 Estate Planning Report, 56% of Americans have no estate planning documents whatsoever - no will, trust, medical power of attorney, or HIPAA authorization - and will ownership specifically dropped five points year over year, from 31% in 2025 to just 26% in 2026. Meanwhile, 73% of Americans say estate planning is personally important to them. That’s not a knowledge problem; it’s an action problem, and it’s exactly what a dedicated month of attention is designed to address.

What Actually Happens Without a Will

Dying without a will - called dying “intestate” - means state law, not personal wishes, decides who inherits what. That process rarely matches what someone would have actually chosen, and it adds real time, cost, and family conflict on top of an already difficult moment. The report’s numbers back this up from another angle: 42% of Americans say they wouldn’t know what to do if a family member died today, and 48% have left no instructions at all for digital accounts after death - both direct consequences of skipping this planning.

What Getting a Will Actually Costs

Cost is one of the most commonly cited reasons people delay - and the actual range is wider than most people assume. A simple will through an attorney for a single individual with few assets typically runs $300-$600; a couple with minor children or multiple properties can expect $1,000-$2,500; and more complex estates can run $5,000 or more with a traditional attorney. Online DIY services run cheaper, generally $100-$500, but come with a real tradeoff - an error or omission in a self-drafted document can invalidate it entirely, which is discovered at the worst possible time. A prepaid legal plan sits in between these two options: will preparation through an actual provider law firm is included as a standard benefit on most personal-tier plans, without the attorney’s full hourly cost or the DIY option’s error risk.

Making This Month Actually Count

The realistic way to use Make-A-Will Month isn’t a single afternoon of paperwork - it’s picking one specific day this month to actually start, since “eventually” is exactly how 56% of Americans ended up without any estate planning documents at all. Whether that means a consultation with a prepaid legal plan’s provider firm, a conversation with a traditional attorney, or even just gathering the basic information a will requires (beneficiaries, an executor, guardianship decisions if there are minor children), starting beats planning to start later. See current LegalShield plans and pricing if a flat-fee, no-extra-cost path to getting this done sounds like the right fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is National Make-A-Will Month an official government observance? It’s a widely recognized awareness campaign promoted by legal and estate planning organizations, not a government-mandated observance - but the underlying prompt (get a will done) is worth acting on regardless of its official status.

Do I need a will if I don’t have significant assets? Yes - a will also covers guardianship decisions for minor children and personal property distribution, both of which matter regardless of overall estate size.

How long does it actually take to get a basic will done? With the core information ready (beneficiaries, executor, guardianship if applicable), a basic will can often be completed in a single consultation - the bigger obstacle is usually starting, not the process itself.

Getting Started This Month

The numbers are clear on one thing: most people who don’t have a will aren’t opposed to getting one, they just haven’t started. Make-A-Will Month is a yearly nudge to close that specific gap. See current LegalShield plans and pricing here - will preparation is included on most tiers, with no separate bill for the consultation.