Estate Planning Research
Estate Planning Research
A 2022 Caring.com study of families who lost loved ones to serious COVID-19 found that 1 in 5 had no estate plan in place, revealing how crisis shapes — and too often delays — legal preparation.
When COVID-19 swept through American households, it exposed a gap many families didn't know they had: no legal plan for what happens after death. Caring.com, working with Pollfish, surveyed 1,000 Americans who lost a family member to a serious case of COVID-19 in early 2022, and paired that data with its annual Wills and Estate Planning Study, conducted with YouGov among more than 2,600 adults. The combined findings show that dying without a plan is common, that surviving a serious illness dramatically increases the odds of having one, and that age plays a significant role in who takes action. This guide walks through what the research found, why so many families were caught unprepared, and what it means for anyone weighing whether to put a plan in place now.
1 in 5 people who died of serious COVID-19 had no estate plan. Survivors of a serious case are 66% more likely to have one than people with no exposure to the virus. Younger adults are the most likely to act on that motivation.
Caring.com's research centered on a simple but painful question: did your loved one have any legally recognized estate planning documents before they died of a serious COVID-19 case? The answer, from 1,000 Americans surveyed with Pollfish in early 2022, was sobering. Nearly half — 44% — said their loved one had either filed nothing or that the family wasn't aware of any documentation, and roughly 1 in 5 Americans overall had died without any estate plan at all in place before a fatal, serious case of the virus.
Among the families whose loved one did have something in place, the documents varied. 23% had established a will, 18% had a living trust, and 16% had some other form of estate plan. That split matters because a will alone doesn't cover everything a trust can — but the larger story is how many families had nothing to work from at all, leaving them to navigate loss and legal limbo simultaneously.
The findings come from two separate surveys, both fielded in early 2022. The first, run in partnership with Pollfish, focused specifically on 1,000 Americans who had lost an immediate or extended family member to a serious case of COVID-19, asking directly about that person's estate planning documentation before death.
The second was Caring.com's broader annual estate planning study, conducted with YouGov among more than 2,600 American adults. That survey asked respondents generally about their own experience with serious COVID-19 cases — whether personal or secondhand — and whether that experience motivated them to create or update estate planning documents. Combining the two data sets let Caring.com compare outcomes for people who died unprepared against the planning habits of the living population around them.
Patrick Hicks, General Counsel and Head of Legal at Trust & Will, offered context for why the gap exists in the first place. He noted that many people who lack an estate plan simply believe they don't need one yet, or assume planning can wait until later in life. That mindset, common well before the pandemic, meant a large share of Americans entered 2020 with no legal safety net in place.
Hicks also pointed out the cost of that gap once death occurs. Dying without an estate plan significantly adds to the burden carried by survivors, since a complete plan can help loved ones bypass probate and avoid many administrative hassles. Beyond the practical logistics, he added that having a plan can offer comfort during emotional turmoil, giving survivors clear instructions on a decedent's wishes rather than leaving them to guess.
| Group | Estate Planning Rate | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Survived a serious COVID-19 case | 48% have a will | Firsthand illness is the strongest motivator |
| Witnessed a loved one's serious case | 41-42% have documents | Secondhand loss still drives action |
| No COVID-19 exposure, first or second hand | 29% have any plan | Least likely group to have a plan in place |
| Adults ages 18-34 | 29% took new planning steps | Most motivated age group after COVID-19 |
The data isn't entirely grim. Caring.com found that nearly half of Americans who personally had a serious case of COVID-19 — meaning hospitalization, long-term effects, or worse — now have estate planning documents in place. That's a 66% increase compared to Americans with no first- or secondhand experience of a serious case, who report having a will, trust, or other plan at a rate of just 29%.
Breaking the numbers down further, 48% of people who personally survived a serious case said they now have a will, while 42% of those with secondhand experience — watching a loved one go through it — also have documentation. Both figures dwarf the 29% baseline among people with no exposure to serious COVID-19 at all, suggesting that direct or close exposure to mortality is one of the strongest motivators for action that researchers identified.
Age shaped the response dramatically. Adults ages 18 to 34 were the most likely to be spurred into action by COVID-19, with nearly 1 in 3 — 29% — saying they took further steps toward estate planning because of the pandemic. That's a notable shift for a generation not traditionally associated with early estate planning.
Middle-aged and older adults, by contrast, were less likely to report being newly motivated. Only 22% of those ages 35 to 54 said COVID-19 pushed them to take further estate planning steps, and the number dropped again to just 13% among adults 55 and older. Researchers suggested this may reflect that older adults were already more likely to have documents in place before the pandemic began, reducing the sense of new urgency.
Beyond formal documents, the study tracked whether COVID-19 prompted family conversations about estate planning — often the first and hardest step. Nearly 1 in 3 Americans who experienced a serious case of COVID-19 said the experience motivated them to start that conversation with loved ones, even when they hadn't yet finalized paperwork.
That pattern extended to people with only secondhand exposure. 41% of Americans who watched a loved one battle a serious case of COVID-19 said they had established a will, compared to just 29% among people with no first- or secondhand experience of the virus. Watching someone else go through a health crisis, in other words, was often enough to move people from conversation to completed document.
Taken together, the findings paint a clear picture: most people don't lack the intention to plan, they lack a triggering event that pushes intention into action. For families who haven't experienced a serious illness firsthand, that trigger may never arrive naturally — which is exactly the group Caring.com's data shows is least likely to have documents in place.
The practical implication is that families shouldn't wait for a health scare to serve as the wake-up call the study describes. Whether it's a simple will, a healthcare power of attorney, or a full estate plan built with an attorney, the data suggests that the families most protected are the ones who acted before a crisis, not during or after one.
The clearest takeaway from Caring.com's research is that most families don't lack awareness of estate planning — they lack a completed document. Nearly half of respondents whose loved one died of serious COVID-19 said that person had either filed nothing or the family wasn't aware of any paperwork. That gap between intention and action is where the real damage happens, and it's also the easiest part of the problem to fix.
The single most concrete next step is to draft at least a basic will and a healthcare power of attorney now, rather than waiting for a diagnosis, hospitalization, or other health scare to force the issue. Caring.com's data shows that people who survive a serious illness become dramatically more likely to plan afterward — but that urgency arrives too late for the estate itself if death occurs first. Starting with a simple will, even before adding a trust or more complex tools, closes most of the exposure identified in the study.
For families who have already lived through a loved one's serious illness or loss, the research suggests this is also the moment to have the conversation with other relatives. Nearly a third of people who experienced a serious COVID-19 case were motivated to discuss estate planning with family members afterward — proof that shared experience opens the door to a conversation many households otherwise avoid indefinitely.
Free or low-cost starting points exist for families unsure where to begin, including state-specific will templates, legal aid clinics, and online platforms built for basic estate documents. The goal isn't perfection on the first draft — it's having something legally valid in place so loved ones aren't left, as Caring.com's data shows nearly half were, without any documented plan at all.
Caring.com's 2022 survey found 1 in 5 people who died of serious COVID-19 had no estate plan, while survivors of a serious case were 66% more likely to have one. Direct experience with loss consistently outpaces good intentions as a motivator to plan.
Caring.com's 2022 research delivers a blunt message: waiting for a health crisis to trigger estate planning leaves families exposed. One in five people who died of a serious COVID-19 case had no will, trust, or any legal plan in place, forcing grieving relatives into probate, guesswork, and preventable conflict. The same data shows the fix is achievable — people who lived through a serious case were 66% more likely to have documents than those untouched by the virus, proving that action, not just awareness, closes the gap. Families don't need a pandemic-level scare to get started; they need a will, a healthcare proxy, and a plan for incapacity, put in writing before a crisis forces the issue. The lesson holds for any household, regardless of age or health status.
If an aging parent or loved one has no will, healthcare proxy, or power of attorney and has recently faced a serious diagnosis, hospitalization, or cognitive decline, treat it as urgent. Waiting until a health crisis peaks risks losing the legal capacity needed to sign documents, leaving families with no choice but probate court and guardianship proceedings.
Good questions ask what happens on an ordinary hard day. Ask about evenings, weekends, falls, hospital returns, staffing shortages, rising care needs, fee changes, caregiver burnout, and limits. A strong answer names a process, responsible person, timeline, and documentation. For this topic, keep returning to the specific question raised by 2022 Study: The Effect of COVID-19 on Estate Planning; the headline should become a checklist, not a vague essay.
If the answer stays broad, ask for an example. “What happened the last time this occurred?” is often more revealing than “Do you provide good care?” Specific stories show whether the system is real or only marketing language. The best next move is to compare options with written questions, outside sources, observed needs, realistic costs, and a scheduled reassessment. That keeps the article practical for readers who need to act, not just understand.
Costs are rarely a single number. Families may face monthly rent, care levels, medication management, transportation, private help, home modifications, insurance limits, or future moves. Business owners may face franchise fees, payroll, insurance, software, debt service, marketing, and slow ramp-up. For this topic, keep returning to the specific question raised by 2022 Study: The Effect of COVID-19 on Estate Planning; the headline should become a checklist, not a vague essay.
Ask what changes the price, what is excluded, when reassessments happen, and what must be paid before benefits, reimbursements, or revenue arrive. A plan that ignores the second and third month is not a complete plan. The best next move is to compare options with written questions, outside sources, observed needs, realistic costs, and a scheduled reassessment. That keeps the article practical for readers who need to act, not just understand.
Slow down if anyone pressures for a quick signature, refuses written pricing, discourages outside advice, avoids licensing or staffing details, minimizes safety concerns, or promises every future issue can be handled without explaining limits. For this topic, keep returning to the specific question raised by 2022 Study: The Effect of COVID-19 on Estate Planning; the headline should become a checklist, not a vague essay.
A pause is not failure. It is a protection step. Strong care options, advisors, and business opportunities can survive careful review; fragile ones often depend on speed, emotion, and incomplete information. The best next move is to compare options with written questions, outside sources, observed needs, realistic costs, and a scheduled reassessment. That keeps the article practical for readers who need to act, not just understand.
Pressure, vague pricing, missing documents, or resistance to outside advice are reasons to pause.
Care needs, health status, family capacity, and budgets change. Business conditions, hiring, referrals, and local demand change too. Build review points into the plan before the first step is taken so no one has to invent the next move during a crisis. For this topic, keep returning to the specific question raised by 2022 Study: The Effect of COVID-19 on Estate Planning; the headline should become a checklist, not a vague essay.
Name the trigger that would require reassessment: another fall, worsening memory, unpaid bills, caregiver illness, a financing gap, a failed service promise, or a new medical diagnosis. A backup plan is not pessimism; it is responsible planning. The best next move is to compare options with written questions, outside sources, observed needs, realistic costs, and a scheduled reassessment. That keeps the article practical for readers who need to act, not just understand.
End with a written next step. The goal is not to solve every future problem today; it is to decide what happens next, who owns it, what evidence supports it, and when the family or owner will review the outcome. For this topic, keep returning to the specific question raised by 2022 Study: The Effect of COVID-19 on Estate Planning; the headline should become a checklist, not a vague essay.
A documented step turns worry into action. Write down the decision, cost range, responsible person, documents reviewed, unresolved questions, and review date. If those items are missing, the decision is not ready yet. The best next move is to compare options with written questions, outside sources, observed needs, realistic costs, and a scheduled reassessment. That keeps the article practical for readers who need to act, not just understand.
The safest path is to compare options with written questions, outside sources, observed needs, realistic costs, and a scheduled reassessment.
The bottom line: compare options with written questions, outside sources, observed needs, realistic costs, and a scheduled reassessment. Use the source row as topic metadata, but rely on independent sources for the claims that matter. A useful senior-care article gives readers numbered questions, concrete evidence, realistic cost thinking, and a follow-up plan. It should help a family or owner explain what they chose, why they chose it, and what would make them revisit the decision.
Worry when urgent pressure replaces documentation, when safety or cost questions remain unanswered, when a loved one’s needs are changing faster than the plan, or when a business commitment depends on assumptions that have not been reviewed by qualified advisors. Those are signals to pause, verify, and get help before moving forward.