About OakTrust

What we do

Estate planning is full of jargon and conflicting advice. We explain how wills, trusts and probate work, what each option costs and when it makes sense to hire an attorney, so you can make a decision and get it done.

Our guides cover the questions families ask most: whether they need a living trust, how probate works and how to avoid it, and how online services compare with hiring an attorney. Our free living trust quiz is a good place to start.

Who is behind OakTrust

OakTrust is edited by Erik Bobbink, CFA. Erik is a CFA charterholder whose career in financial services includes PwC, Accenture, BNP Paribas and BRED, with a focus on capital markets infrastructure and financial compliance.

Erik edits every guide on OakTrust. He checks figures against primary sources, keeps explanations accurate and plain, and updates guides when laws, limits or prices change. He is not an attorney, and OakTrust does not give legal advice.

What we are not

OakTrust is a publication. We are not a law firm, a bank or a trust company, we do not act as trustee for anyone, and we do not give legal, tax or financial advice. Reading our guides does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice on your situation, talk to an attorney licensed in your state.

How we write and check our guides

• Primary sources first. We rely on state statutes, court self-help pages and the IRS wherever possible, and on established legal publishers and providers’ own websites for costs and prices. Every guide lists its sources.
• Fact-checked before publishing. Each guide is checked claim by claim against its sources before it goes live, and figures carry the date we checked them.
• Dated reviews. Every guide shows when it was last reviewed. Figures that change often, such as the estate tax exemption, state small-estate limits and service prices, are rechecked at least once a year.
• State differences flagged. Where the answer depends on your state, we say so instead of giving a one-size-fits-all rule.
• No paid placements. Providers cannot pay to appear in our guides or to change what we say about them or their competitors.
• Corrections. If you spot an error, tell us through the contact page. We review every report and update the guide when a correction is needed.

How we make money

OakTrust is free to read. Some links to estate planning services and other providers may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Commissions never decide what our guides say. Details are in our affiliate disclosure.

Publisher

OakTrust.com is published by American Biologics LLC. You can reach us through our contact page.