By Evan Willingham
Senior Account Executive II, Financial Institutions
Trust & Will
If you work at a credit union or CUSO, you have probably seen it firsthand. Members come to you for far more than a transaction. They ask questions about life decisions. They want guidance they can trust. They want to feel confident that they are making the right moves for their families, not just today, but over time.
That shift is real, and it is accelerating. Financial wellness has expanded beyond budgeting tips and retirement calculators. Members increasingly expect support that reflects the full arc of their lives. In that context, estate planning is no longer something that sits outside the core relationship. It is becoming an essential, and often overlooked, part of the member experience.
Members Expect More Than Traditional Financing
Most credit unions already do a lot of the hard work. You educate members on credit health, help them prepare for retirement, and offer tools that support smarter financial decisions. The common thread is trust. Members return because they believe you will help them make choices that protect what they have built.
Estate planning fits naturally within that same promise. Yet it is often missing from financial wellness conversations, even when members are navigating the exact life moments that make it relevant.
Trust & Will’s 2025 Estate Planning Report highlights the scale of the gap. Fifty-five percent of Americans have no estate plan at all, and only 31 percent have a will, despite broad recognition that estate planning matters. This is not a niche issue. It is a mainstream financial wellness need that many households are still not addressing.
A Support Gap, Not an Awareness Gap
In many credit union conversations, you can hear the pattern. Members are not necessarily opposed to estate planning. They just do not know where to begin, and they assume it is for someone else. Some think it is only for wealthy families. Others simply keep pushing it to the bottom of the list.
Among individuals without any estate planning documents, the most common reasons for inaction are procrastination (30 percent), and not knowing where to start (27 percent), according to our 2025 Estate Planning Report. Legal complexity is not the primary barrier.
For credit unions and CUSOs, that insight is useful because it points to a solvable challenge. Members often need a clear entry point, approachable education, and a trusted place to start.
Estate Planning as Financial Wellness
Estate planning connects directly to the same concerns members raise in other financial wellness conversations. Protecting loved ones. Reducing uncertainty. Preparing for what happens if something changes.
The challenge is that many people take action only after life forces the issue. The most common triggers for creating an estate plan are health concerns, protecting assets, and protecting loved ones.
That reactive pattern is familiar in financial services. People often wait until a stressful event to make an important decision. Bringing estate planning into the broader member experience can help move the conversation earlier, when members can plan with more clarity and less urgency.
Reaching Members More Equitably
Most credit union leaders also recognize another truth. Financial preparedness is not evenly distributed, and access gaps show up in predictable ways. The same is true for estate planning. Some groups are more likely to feel excluded from legal and financial systems, or unsure about whom to trust.
Trust & Will’s 2025 findings show that barriers vary across life stage and demographics, reinforcing that estate planning is also an access issue. For credit unions rooted in communities, this is an important lens. When members see estate planning as something that is not meant for them, it becomes harder to build long-term financial resilience for families.
The Role of CUSOs
Even when the need is clear, operational realities can get in the way. Estate planning has historically required specialized expertise or referral pathways that are difficult to scale consistently across branches, channels, and member segments.
CUSOs can help bridge that gap by supporting education, infrastructure, and consistent access in ways that fit how credit unions already serve members. Done well, this approach can feel like an extension of existing financial wellness efforts, not a new line of business.
For credit unions and CUSOs, the opportunity is less about adding something “extra,” and more about strengthening what you already do best. Help members make informed decisions. Reduce avoidable stress for families. Support long-term financial confidence across generations.
Looking Ahead
Estate planning does not need to be positioned as urgent or fear-driven. Trust & Will’s 2025 research suggests that most people already understand it matters. What many lack is support, clarity, and a trusted starting point.
As credit unions continue evolving into lifelong financial partners, estate planning represents a natural next step in the member experience. It can sit alongside retirement planning, insurance conversations, and financial education as another way to help members protect what they have built, and the people they love.
To learn more or connect with Trust & Will, please visit their website at https://trustandwill.com/.
About the Author:
Evan Willingham
Senior Account Executive II, Financial Institutions
Trust & Will
Evan Willingham leads Trust & Will’s credit union partnerships. He joined Trust & Will in 2025 with 15 years of experience supporting hundreds of credit unions through his work at leading fintechs, including Alloy, EverFi, and Carefull. He lives in Daniel Island, South Carolina, with his wife, Maddy, and their three young boys, Jack, Auggie, and Wes. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he lives and dies with his Tar Heels basketball team.