Copyright Fast Company
Let’s be honest. Most people would rather talk about almost anything other than death, money, or family conflict. Estate planning combines all three. When we started our brand, we didn’t just need to build a digital estate planning platform. We needed to rebrand one of the most uncomfortable topics in modern life. We knew the product had to be simple, affordable, and legally sound. We also knew something just as important: The experience had to feel different. Warm. Approachable. Even a little bit fun. In other words, we had to make the uncomfy comfortable. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter.Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters DEATH IS THE PRODUCT, BUT LIFE IS THE BRAND Estate planning is rarely a priority until something major happens: a new baby, a scary diagnosis, a big life change, or the loss of a loved one. But here’s the truth. By the time you need a will or trust, it might be too late to do it right. Instead of waiting until people were in a crisis, we started showing up in moments of joy, transition, or quiet reflection. The first day of kindergarten. A road trip without the kids. A trip to the hospital. A wedding. A retirement party. These are life moments where estate planning belongs. That mindset shift drove our entire brand strategy. It’s why our content features real families, real struggles, and real stories, not stock photos of gavels and courtrooms. It’s why we’ve made the brand feel more like a best friend who happens to be a great lawyer. Not a robot spitting out legalese. WE BUILT A BRAND AROUND VULNERABILITY, AND IT WORKED A few weeks ago, I dropped my daughter off at cheer camp. On the drive back, I realized I was still blasting her playlist: Disney movie soundtracks, Taylor Swift, K-pop. (My Spotify Wrapped is a hilarious mess.) But in that moment, something clicked. These tiny, human rituals are what people are planning to protect when they make a will. That’s what we’re really in the business of. Not just legal documents, but legacies. Not just instructions, but intent. We bring that same human-first lens into everything we do, from our commercials with NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford and his family, to our influencer campaigns, to the industry-wide estate planning conference we’re launching this month. Because the truth is, estate planning isn’t just about legal compliance, it’s about emotional clarity. People want to protect the things and people that matter most; they just need help making sense of it all. YOU CAN’T SCALE EMPATHY WITHOUT STORYTELLING We’ve helped over 1 million people get a plan in place. That scale didn’t come from fear-based marketing or morbid headlines. It came from empathy, humor, honesty, and, above all, humanity. Our most impactful ads don’t scare you into action. They invite you into a conversation. They make you laugh, then make you think. Most importantly, they normalize a conversation that has been off-limits for too long. Our brand voice is intentional. We’re not stiff or robotic. We’re not overly sentimental either. We’re clear, kind, and direct. Just like a trusted friend would be if you came to them for advice. advertisement When our team sits down to write, we always ask ourselves: Would this make someone feel seen? Does this line sound like something you’d actually say out loud? Are we educating, not preaching? The payoff? Nearly one in four Americans has now seen one of our ads. And we’re just getting started. TURNING TABOO INTO TRUST There’s still a long way to go. More than 70% of Americans don’t have a will. That’s tens of millions of families who could end up in court, stuck in probate, or dealing with unnecessary conflict, simply because a critical conversation never happened. But we’ve learned that people aren’t avoiding estate planning because they don’t care. They’re avoiding it because it’s overwhelming. It’s confusing. Or it’s uncomfortable. That’s a branding problem. And branding is storytelling with purpose. If we can keep telling better stories—real ones, relatable ones—then more families will take action before it’s too late. More people will protect what matters. And more conversations about death will become conversations about life. LEGACY ISN’T MORBID—IT’S BEAUTIFUL I think a lot about how my kids will look back on what we built. My hope is that they see a company that didn’t just grow fast, win awards, or get media buzz, but one that made a real impact. One that made something hard feel a little bit easier. If we can help people feel proud to plan ahead (not ashamed, guilty, or anxious), then we’ve done our jobs. Because legacy isn’t about endings, it’s about what continues. And that, to me, is the most powerful story we can tell. Cody Barbo is CEO of Trust & Will.
