Tips & Tricks

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6 min read 7 stepsMay 9, 2026Verified May 2026

Special Estate Planning for Solo Agers Without Children

Without kids, your estate plan needs different names in different boxes. Here is how solo agers handle beneficiaries, charities, pet trusts, and executors.

At a Glance

Pick an executor who is 10 to 20 years younger than you

~35s

The executor is the person who handles your estate after you die. The role takes 1 to 3 years of paperwork, court filings, bill payments, and asset distribution. Pick someone organized, patient, and at least 10 to 20 years younger than you, because executors often have to outlive the person they serve. If no friend or family member fits, name a bank trust department or a professional fiduciary as the executor and a friend as a co-executor for personal items.

Warning

Some banks charge 3 to 5 percent of the estate value to serve as executor. Get the fee schedule in writing before naming them.

Make beneficiary designations match your will

~23s

The biggest estate planning mistake solo agers make is forgetting to update beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank accounts. These designations OVERRIDE your will. If your IRA still names an ex-spouse from 1985, that ex-spouse inherits the IRA no matter what your will says. Go through every account: 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA, life insurance, bank accounts (POD designations), brokerage accounts (TOD designations). Update them all.

Set up a pet trust if you have pets

~43s

A pet trust is a legal arrangement where you set aside money and name a caregiver to look after your pets after you die. Pet trusts are legal in all 50 states. A typical pet trust for a single senior cat or dog has $5,000 to $25,000 set aside, with annual disbursements for food, vet care, and grooming, paid to the named caregiver. Name a backup caregiver in case the first one cannot take the pet. The trust ends when the last named pet dies, and any remaining money goes to the charity or person you designate.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Many local humane societies and breed-specific rescues will guarantee placement of your pet if you make a planned gift to them in your will. Call ahead and ask about their senior pet placement programs.

Decide what happens to charitable gifts before deciding on people

~30s

Solo agers often have more freedom than parents to leave significant gifts to charity. Decide first what causes matter most: a religious community, a college, a medical research foundation, an animal shelter, a local food bank. A donor-advised fund (set up through Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or Vanguard Charitable) lets you name multiple charities and adjust the list during your lifetime. Charitable gifts also reduce estate tax exposure if your estate is large enough to owe federal estate tax (currently over about $13 million per person).

Write a separate letter of wishes for personal items

~26s

Wills are bad at handling sentimental items: the photograph albums, the jewelry, the books, the holiday ornaments, the cookbook your mother wrote in. Instead, write a personal property memorandum (recognized in many states) that lists who gets what, signed by you and updated as you wish. Pair it with a written letter to your executor explaining the stories behind the items. Solo agers' personal items often end up in dumpsters because no one knows their significance.

Plan for digital assets and online accounts

~24s

Make a list of every online account: email, banking, social media, photo storage (iCloud, Google Photos), subscription services. For each, decide whether you want it deleted, memorialized, or passed to someone. Both Apple (Legacy Contact) and Google (Inactive Account Manager) let you name a digital heir while you are still alive. Store the master password list in a password manager and share access with your executor through the manager's emergency access feature.

Review the plan every 3 to 5 years

~25s

Estate plans go stale fast. Named executors get sick or die. Named charities merge or close. Named friends move away or have their own life changes. Beneficiary forms get out of sync with the will. Put a recurring calendar reminder for every third year on your birthday: re-read the will, re-read the beneficiary forms, re-read the pet trust, and call your estate attorney for a short review (1 hour, usually $300 to $500).

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Standard estate planning advice is written for people with adult children. The kids are the executor. The kids are the beneficiaries. The kids inherit the house. The kids take the pets. The kids decide what happens to the photographs and the wedding ring and the books. Solo agers do not have that default, and assuming the law will figure it out is a serious mistake. If you die without a will (intestate), state law decides who gets your money, usually distant relatives you have not seen in decades, or in some cases the state itself. The person sorting through your belongings will be whoever happens to step up. And they may not be the right one.

Good estate planning for a solo ager covers seven separate decisions. First, who is the executor of your will, the person who actually does the work of probate (expect 1 to 3 years of effort). Second, who gets your money and property, which can include charities, friends, distant relatives, or a foundation in your name. Third, who is the alternate executor if your first choice cannot serve. Fourth, who takes responsibility for any pets, and is there money set aside for them (a pet trust). Fifth, who decides what happens to your remains and any service. Sixth, who has access to your digital accounts, photos, and email after you die. Seventh, who serves as the trustee if you set up a trust to avoid probate.

For most of these roles, solo agers cannot use the same name for every job. The executor is best as someone organized and patient with paperwork. The trustee is best as someone with financial sense. The pet caregiver is best as someone who actually knows your pets. Mixing these up causes problems. Hiring a professional fiduciary for one or more roles is standard practice and costs roughly 1 to 4 percent of the estate value plus hourly fees during active work.

A solo ager-specific estate plan should be reviewed every 3 to 5 years, or whenever a named person dies, moves away, or has a major change in their own life.

(Sources: AARP — Estate Planning for Single People; American College of Trust and Estate Counsel; Pet Trust Lawyer guides; National Association of Estate Planners and Councils)

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