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In A Nutshell
- Most Americans have thoroughly “planned” their funerals from music being played to service preferences, but only 17% have thought about inheritance.
- Estate planning is seen as uncomfortable, second only to sex and relationships.
- Top myth: wills are only for the wealthy. 38% believe they don’t have enough assets.
- Life events like illness, marriage, or children often motivate people to finally create a plan.
NEW YORK — Two-thirds of Americans have already planned their own funerals, mapping out everything from burial location to the songs that will play at their service. But when it comes to the less ceremonial side of death, like who inherits their belongings, most would rather not have that conversation.
A new survey found that 65% of Americans have given serious thought to their end-of-life arrangements. Among them, 29% have decided how they want to be buried, 19% know exactly where, and 17% have selected their preferred type of service. Another 14% have curated a funeral playlist. Ten percent have even determined the overall mood they want for the occasion.
Yet despite this meticulous planning, only 17% have considered who will receive their possessions after they die. The gap reveals something curious about how Americans approach mortality: they’re comfortable designing their final farewell but deeply uncomfortable addressing the practical questions that follow.
The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Trust & Will, polled 750 Americans evenly divided among single, engaged, and married individuals. Only 35% said they haven’t given their funeral or death any advance thought. For some, mortality is a regular visitor in their minds: nearly one in five people think about their own death at least once daily.
Death and Estate Planning: Second-Most Uncomfortable Family Conversation
Thinking about death privately and discussing it with family are two different things. Death and estate planning came in as the second-most difficult subject to broach with loved ones, with 25% of respondents calling it uncomfortable. Only sex and relationships ranked higher at 33%. Death tied with other loaded topics like past mistakes, regrets, and mental health.
The reluctance to talk creates awkward situations. People carefully plan their send-off but leave relatives in the dark about who should get what. Nearly half of respondents (46%) either don’t plan to discuss which items they hope to inherit from loved ones or don’t feel it’s their place to ask.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking about it. People are quietly eyeing specific family treasures. Beyond standard inheritances like jewelry, money, and photographs, survey respondents mentioned wanting an “antique shoe shining table,” a “stepfather’s bear carved from a log,” a “mom’s classic car,” and “dad’s shorts that he cut up with a chainsaw.”
Why Two-Thirds of Americans Skip Estate Planning Despite Funeral Preparations
While funeral planning is clearly popular, estate planning is not. Two-thirds of Americans (64%) haven’t created an estate plan, and 28% don’t intend to make one at all.
Married people are somewhat better prepared, though 45% still lack a plan. Single individuals fall behind at 65% without one. Engaged couples are in the worst shape: a striking 81% have no estate plan despite major life changes on the horizon.
Why the avoidance? The top reason is believing estate plans are only for the wealthy. Some 38% of those without a plan said they don’t have enough assets to justify one.
“The idea that you need to be rich to justify an estate plan is one of the most damaging myths out there,” says Cody Barbo, co-founder and CEO of Trust & Will. “If you care about what happens to anything—your kid, your pet, your car, your crypto—you need a plan. It’s not about how much you have. It’s about making sure the right people are protected when it matters most.”
Other obstacles include not knowing where to begin, which affects 39% of married respondents, and worries about cost, mentioned by one in five single people.
Of the 36% who do have a will, trust, or Advanced Healthcare Directive, most did it for peace of mind (52%). Others wanted to protect their assets (48%), look after their children (44%), or sidestep probate (36%).
What Motivates Americans to Finally Create an Estate Plan
Different life circumstances push people toward estate planning. For married individuals, serious illness or healthcare concerns serve as the strongest motivator (30%), with encouragement from a spouse coming in second (25%).
Engaged couples cite the wedding itself (38%) or plans to have children (35%) as their main reasons. Single respondents are equally likely to create a plan after having kids (17%) or after a death in the family (17%).
Barbo points to a basic knowledge problem. “Most people want to plan ahead. They just don’t know where to start,” he says. “Only 17% of people in the survey said they feel very knowledgeable about what an estate plan even includes. So it’s not a lack of love. It’s a lack of clarity.”
People picture the funeral details easily but hesitate on inheritance. Bridging that gap may mean treating estate planning as part of caring for loved ones.
Survey Methodology
Talker Research surveyed two groups of 750 Americans, evenly split with 250 single, 250 engaged, and 250 married respondents (375 men and 375 women). The surveys were commissioned by Trust & Will and conducted online between May 16-23, 2025, and September 5-15, 2025.
Researchers sourced participants from a non-probability frame using traditional online access panels, where respondents opt in to take part in online market research for an incentive, and programmatic methods, where respondents receive a virtual incentive for survey participation.
The survey was conducted in English, and respondents were awarded points with small cash-equivalent monetary value for completing it. Cells are reported only if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, with statistical significance calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and parameters were established to reach the desired sample.
Interviews were excluded from final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This included people who rushed through the survey too quickly (completing it in less than one-third of the median completion time), inappropriate open-ended responses, bots (identified through Captcha), and duplicate responses (prevented through digital fingerprinting).
