How It Works

There are three terms you need to know:

Trust: A trust is created to manage your affairs. You complete a document that creates a trust, which is like a company, to manage your affairs.

Trusts are initially revocable, meaning you can change them at any time. Once you die they become irrevocable, meaning they can’t be changed.

Your trust names someone as trustee to manage the trust.

Trustee: When you write up your trust, you appoint someone as the trustee. While you are living, that’s you. When you are incapacitated or pass away, the next in line becomes the trustee.

Your trustee is a fiduciary and must keep your best interests at heart. When you appoint a trustee at a trust company you are appointing a professional — usually a lawyer or financial professional — to act in that role.

Trust company: A trust company is effectively a bank that does not take deposits. Trust companies are regulated by the state or federal banking regulators.

They need to meet a high standard and ensure they will deliver exactly what they promise. For example, they have to keep a large cash reserve at all times, just in case they have issues. If a trust company “goes under,” the banking regulators have a responsibility to step in.

Keep your membership card on hand at all times. We also encourage you to update your phone’s “In Case of Emergency” contact information in your phone (in your Health App if you have an iPhone!) with our emergency number.

If there’s a medical emergency and you can’t communicate your wishes, emergency personnel should call the number listed on your membership card.

We’ll verify your identity and membership then fax or email all the necessary medical documents and wishes over to your hospital to ensure your wishes are followed.

You can voluntarily opt to have our trust partner act on your behalf. Most people want to maintain medical control as long as they can, but it is up to you.

For example, you might want us to step in when you go into long-term care. In that case, we offer a non-emergency number to call and make a plan.

In all other cases, please call your doctor or dial 911.

There are two paths: voluntary and involuntary.

Voluntary: You can “turn on” power of attorney any time and have our partner trust company act in that role.

For example, you could activate financial POA if you’re planning to travel internationally for a year and don’t want to worry about keeping your bills paid.

Involuntary: If you’re temporarily unconscious and can’t make decisions, the hospital notifies us and we step in until you’re awake and aware again.

If you’re in cognitive decline, two medical professionals — most likely your primary care doctor and a physician appointed by our partner trust company — must deem you unfit to place you into involuntary conservatorship/guardianship.

Power of attorney (POA) is intended to be used for a limited period of time (less than 6 months).

If you’re incapacitated longer than 6 months, your assets will be moved into trust and managed there.

We get it — being Childfree doesn’t mean you don’t have a support system! We don’t have to be your first choice, but we should be your last choice.

List close friends, relatives, and chosen family first as your primary next of kin if you like.

Think of us as your guaranteed fallback: If they can’t step in to help in an emergency, we’ll be waiting. (In short: We’ll always be there to protect you in the end.)

Yes! Childfree Trust® is available in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

We have created estate documents for each state that reflect each state’s laws.

All of our trusts have an “Alabama Situs: Our partner trust company is in Alabama, our trusts are designed to follow Alabama’s laws. This allows us to serve people across the country.

We have a network of attorneys in each state who keep tabs on estate requirements and ensure we have the correct documents for their state. We’ll ensure you know if updates are needed.

Our partner trust company has no power to manage your investments while you are alive and competent. 

If you become incapacitated and your financial power of attorney is activated, the trust company has the power to manage your cash and pay bills on your behalf. Your investments will be transferred into the trust after you’ve been incapacitated for six months or if it’s determined you have a long-term disability. 

At that point, the trust company will manage your investments to ensure they meet the goals of your care.

Yes. Our partner trust company will act only when all other primary choices have been exhausted.

If our partner trust company is listed as your trustee when you die, they will transfer your assets to their custodian (Fidelity) and distribute them according to the wishes laid out in your will.

The trust is a revocable trust that can be made irrevocable while you’re alive or after you die. 

No, we require that you create your estate documents in our portal using our templates. However, if you have a copy of your documents, you can move through the process much more efficiently since you already have answers to most of the questions!

It depends. Our system includes both estate documents (the legal documents you sign) and care plans.

Care plans outline what matters to you, what you care about and how you want to be cared for. Care plans can, and should, be updated often.

If you move states or want to change who you appoint as your executor, POA or trustee, you will need another set of documents. If you adopt a dog, you can add in their details without doing a new set of legal documents.

Tell us what’s changed, and we’ll tell you if you need new legal documents. If you do, we’ll help you generate new ones at no additional cost — all you have to do is sign, notarize, and send the new ones to our partner trust company.

It depends. Our system includes both estate documents (the legal documents you sign), and care plans. Care plans outline what matters to you, what you care about and how you want to be cared for. Care plans can, and should, be updated often.

If you move states or want to change who you appoint as your executor, POA or trustee, you will need another set of documents. If you adopt a dog, you can add in their details without doing a new set of legal documents.

Don’t worry, we save everything. You can update what has changed and we will tell you if you need new legal documents. If you do, we will tell you — and all you’ll have to do is print and sign the new ones.

Yes! We’ve developed our browser-based app with the accessibility needs of aging populations in mind, including zoom capabilities and optimization for screen readers.

Your care documents may contain sensitive information, from financial details to passwords.

Rest easy: Our tech team has data security measures in place to encrypt all your data, protect your personal information, create regular backups, and safeguard your account from unauthorized access.

We work with a network of legal experts to ensure our patented tool is generating legally enforceable documents for your state. 

When you choose your state during setup, our system automatically generates the proper documents to match your state’s laws. (For example, each state has its own version of a medical power of attorney with different names, such as healthcare proxy or advanced directive.)

One of the best benefits of Childfree Trust: We move with you at no additional cost.

Follow the prompts in your dashboard to notify us that you’ve moved, and we’ll have you create new documents  to sign, notarize, and mail to our partner trust company.

You will specify in your documents that, if a court determines you must be appointed a conservator or guardian, you prefer it be Childfree Trust.

While courts are not legally required to follow this, they typically will if you have good documentation.

This is also where the process involving two medical professionals agreeing on cognitive decline is important.