What is the Sandwich Gap in estate planning? Trust & Will’s 2026 Estate Planning Report finds Gen X is America’s least protected generation

American adults are more unprotected than they realize — and the generation carrying the most responsibility is the least prepared. According to new research from Trust & Will, 56% of American adults have no estate planning documents of any kind, despite 73% saying estate planning is important to them. At the center of that exposure sits Gen X. 62% of Gen X adults — the group most likely to be caring for aging parents while raising children — have zero estate planning documents, a higher unprotected rate than Millennials (58%), Gen Z (54%), or Baby Boomers (48%). Trust & Will defines this inversion as the “Sandwich Gap” — the estate planning shortfall where the generation carrying the most financial responsibility for others is the least protected themselves.

This page is a focused companion to the full Trust & Will 2026 Estate Planning Report. For year-over-year comparisons, full demographic splits, and the complete set of findings across AI attitudes, digital estate planning, pets, and motivations, read the full 2026 report at trustandwill.com/learn/estate-planning-report-2026.

KEY ANSWERS

• 56% of U.S. adults have no estate planning documents — Only 26% have a will in place, despite 73% saying estate planning is important to them.

• 62% of Gen X have zero estate planning documents — The highest unprotected rate of any generation, ahead of Millennials (58%), Gen Z (54%), and Baby Boomers (48%).

• 68% of adults in serious or engaged relationships have no estate planning documents — A higher unprotected rate than divorced, separated, or widowed Americans (55%).

• 42% of Americans wouldn’t know what to do if a family member died today — Rising to 56% among those with no estate planning documents at all.

• 27% of those without a plan cite “not enough assets” as the main reason — Followed by procrastination (23%), not knowing where to start (17%), cost (15%), and the process feeling too complicated (12%).

• 45% of Americans are more concerned about their financial future than a year ago — Yet only 43% say they are likely to create a will or trust in the next 12 months.

What should you do if you don’t have an estate plan?

• Start with a will — even if you believe your assets are modest. A will names who cares for your children, who handles your affairs, and who receives what you own.

• Add a medical power of attorney and an advance health care directive so someone you trust can make medical decisions if you are incapacitated.

• Name a financial power of attorney to manage money, bills, and accounts if you cannot.

• Tell the people you have chosen. The first step of an estate plan is a conversation, not a contract.

• Review every 2 to 5 years or after a major life change: marriage, divorce, a new child, a move, a new home, a new job, or a diagnosis.

• Choose a route that fits your situation — 34% of Americans prefer an estate planning attorney, 19% prefer an online service, and 13% prefer a hybrid of online plus attorney review.

• Store signed documents somewhere your chosen representative can actually find them.

Which generation is least protected by estate planning?

• 62% of Gen X have no estate planning documents — the highest unprotected rate of any American generation in 2026.

• 58% of Millennials have no estate planning documents — only marginally better than the generation above them.

• 54% of Gen Z have no estate planning documents — lower than Millennials and Gen X, though more than half of the youngest adults still have nothing in place.

• 48% of Baby Boomers have no estate planning documents — the most protected working-age cohort — but nearly half still have nothing in place.

What does the Sandwich Gap mean for Gen X in 2026?

At the heart of the Sandwich Gap is a simple inversion: the adults doing the most financial lifting for others have the least protection themselves. Gen X sits at the bottom of the preparedness table across every foundational document this survey tracked.

• Only 24% of Gen X hold a will — below the 37% rate among Baby Boomers, despite Gen X carrying the heaviest day-to-day intergenerational responsibilities.

• Only 10% of Gen X hold a trust — lower than both Millennials (18%) and Gen Z (21%), meaning even the modest planning Gen X does complete often lacks the probate-avoidance protection that trusts provide.

• 42% of Americans wouldn’t know what to do if a family member died today — rising to 56% among those with no estate planning documents at all — the group Gen X most populates.

For years, estate planning has been framed as a problem for older Americans. The 2026 data tells a different story. Gen X is the generation most responsible for everyone else — children, partners, aging parents — yet they are the least likely to have a plan of their own. That’s the Sandwich Gap, and closing it is the single biggest protective shift American families can make this year.
— Cody Barbo, Co-founder and CEO, Trust & Will

Why are people in serious relationships less protected than those who are divorced or widowed?

• 68% of adults in serious relationships or engaged have no estate planning documents — the highest unprotected rate of any relationship status in the 2026 study.

• 55% of divorced, separated, or widowed adults have no documents — a lower unprotected rate than those in serious or engaged relationships.

• 45% of married adults have no documents — the lowest unprotected rate of any relationship group, still close to half.

Divorce, loss, and settlement proceedings often force estate planning conversations that couples in newer or engaged relationships have not yet had.

Why do Americans say they haven’t created a will or trust?

Among those without a plan (n=4,636), the most common reasons given are:27% — don’t think they have enough assets to need one.

• 23% — haven’t gotten around to it.

• 17% — don’t know where to start.

• 15% — feel it is too expensive.

• 12% — feel the process is too complicated.

• 12% — find it uncomfortable to think about.

• 11% — don’t feel it is relevant to them.

• 8% — don’t want to have the conversation with family.

Commentary

Estate planning isn’t about how much you own. It’s about who gets to speak for you when you can’t — who cares for your children, who makes medical decisions, who handles your affairs. Those questions apply to every adult, whether you have a house or a rental, a retirement account or a first paycheck.
— Cody Barbo, Co-founder and CEO, Trust & Will

What this means for Americans in 2026

The 2026 data reframes who in America is most at risk. For years, estate planning conversations have focused on older generations and the “not enough assets” objection. The data shows the opposite. The Americans carrying real financial weight for others — Gen X adults with mortgages, children, aging parents, and career-peak earnings — are the least likely to have basic protections in place. The Sandwich Gap sits inside a broader pattern Trust & Will calls the Awareness vs. Action Gap: the persistent disconnect between knowing estate planning matters and acting on it. Where the awareness gap has stayed flat year over year, the Sandwich Gap sharpens the question — not who needs a plan, but who is bearing the most responsibility without one. Crossing this gap isn’t a matter of wealth. It’s a matter of naming who decides, who inherits, and who steps in. Gen X is at peak earnings, peak responsibility, and peak exposure — and closing the Sandwich Gap starts with naming the people you would want to speak for you and the assets you would want them to protect.

Methodology

This article is drawn from the Trust & Will 2026 Estate Planning Report, a random double-opt-in online survey of 5,000 U.S. adults commissioned by Trust & Will and conducted by Talker Research between January 28 and February 5, 2026. The margin of error is approximately ±1.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Talker Research is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR). Generation-level figures are reported for Gen Z (born 1997–2008), Millennials (born 1981–1996), Gen X (born 1965–1980), and Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964). The Silent Generation (born 1927–1945) fell below the 80-respondent minimum cell size threshold and is excluded from primary demographic analysis. For full methodology and the complete 2026 report, see trustandwill.com/learn/estate-planning-report-2026 and talkerresearch.com/methodology.