Alternatives to Five Wishes and Nolo WillMaker for Maine Advance Directives
If you've been looking at Five Wishes, Nolo WillMaker, or Trust & Will for your Maine advance directive, here's what to know: all three produce legally acceptable documents, but none of them cover the Maine-specific execution, coordination, and distribution issues that cause most families to get stuck. The form itself is the easy part. The hard part is everything around it — and that's where national platforms fall short.
The National Platform Problem
National advance directive platforms work by inserting your state's name into a multi-state template. The resulting document meets baseline legal requirements. But Maine has several features that a template approach handles poorly or ignores entirely:
- No state advance directive registry — your distribution plan is your only safety net during an emergency
- Strict witness disqualifications — your healthcare agent, alternate agent, and (by strong recommendation) relatives cannot witness
- POLST/MOLST/EMS Comfort Care coordination — paramedics follow medical orders, not legal documents. Your directive and your POLST must agree
- Death with Dignity Act — Maine is one of the few states allowing medical aid in dying, with a 2025 amendment reducing the waiting period
- MaineCare probate-only estate recovery — the family home can be shielded from Medicaid recovery, but only if you understand the rules before making asset decisions
- 2026 COLA-adjusted probate thresholds — small estate affidavit at $52,500, homestead allowance at $29,500, and other inflation-adjusted amounts that change annually
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Five Wishes | Nolo WillMaker | Trust & Will | Maine-Specific Kit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free / $5 print | $99+ (bundled) | $69+ / year | Under $30 one-time |
| Maine statutory references | Generic | Generic | Generic | Exact statute citations |
| Witness eligibility screening | Basic guidance | Basic guidance | Basic guidance | Complete disqualification checklist |
| POLST/DNR coordination | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered | Full coordination guide |
| Death with Dignity walkthrough | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered | Step-by-step with 2025 amendment |
| MaineCare estate recovery | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered | Current asset limits and exemptions |
| Snowbird portability | Not covered | General mention | Not covered | Dual-document strategy |
| Distribution checklist | Basic | Basic | Basic | Provider-by-provider distribution plan |
| Subscription required | No | No (one-time) | Yes (annual) | No |
| Agent briefing protocol | Values-based prompts | Not included | Not included | Structured conversation guide |
Five Wishes
Five Wishes is the most widely recognized advance directive platform in the country. It frames the directive around five humanistic questions — who you want making decisions, the kind of medical treatment you want, how comfortable you want to be, how you want people to treat you, and what you want your loved ones to know.
What it does well: The values-based approach helps people think about end-of-life care in personal terms rather than legal terms. It's accessible and non-intimidating.
What it misses for Maine: Five Wishes doesn't cover POLST coordination, witness disqualification rules beyond the basics, the Death with Dignity Act process, MaineCare estate recovery, or the distribution challenge created by Maine's lack of a state registry. It's a good conversation starter — but it's not a complete execution system for Maine residents.
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Nolo WillMaker
Nolo WillMaker bundles an advance directive with a will, trust, and other estate planning documents. The advance directive module generates a state-specific document based on your answers to a guided questionnaire.
What it does well: Comprehensive document bundle if you need a will and trust alongside your directive. Reputable legal publisher with decades of experience.
What it misses for Maine: The advance directive module produces a valid document but doesn't address coordination with medical orders, Maine's unique estate recovery rules, or the practical execution challenges (witness screening, distribution, agent briefing). And you're paying for a full estate planning suite when you may only need the directive.
Trust & Will
Trust & Will offers online estate planning with a subscription model. Their advance directive is generated as part of a broader plan.
What it does well: Modern interface, guided process, includes a trust option.
What it misses for Maine: Same limitations as the other national platforms — valid document, no Maine-specific execution guidance. The annual subscription model means ongoing cost for a document you may only need to update every few years.
When a Maine-Specific Kit Makes Sense
A state-specific kit is the better choice when your primary need is a complete, actionable advance directive for Maine — not a multi-state template and not a full estate planning suite. The Maine Advance Directive & Living Will Kit covers the directive itself plus 9 standalone reference documents: witness eligibility checklist, distribution checklist, agent briefing guide, treatment preferences worksheet, POLST/DNR reference, MaineCare recovery reference, signing day checklist, planning timeline, and forms directory.
The kit assumes you're completing this in Maine, under Maine law, and distributing to Maine providers. That focus means it covers the issues national platforms skip — the witness disqualifications, the POLST coordination, the estate recovery rules, the snowbird portability questions — because those are specifically Maine problems.
Who This Is For
- Maine residents who started with Five Wishes or a national platform and realized it doesn't cover the practical execution details
- People who need an advance directive but don't need a full estate planning suite (will, trust, powers of attorney)
- Families looking for a one-time purchase, not an annual subscription
- Anyone who wants Maine-specific statutory references, not generic multi-state language
Who This Is NOT For
- People who need a comprehensive estate plan (will + trust + directive + financial POA) — Nolo WillMaker or an attorney is better for the bundle
- Residents of other states — this kit is Maine-specific
- Anyone who wants ongoing access to updated templates as law changes (subscription platforms handle this; a kit is a point-in-time purchase based on current law)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Five Wishes legally valid in Maine?
Yes. Five Wishes meets the legal requirements for an advance directive in Maine. The document itself is valid. The question isn't whether it's legally sufficient — it's whether it gives you enough guidance to execute, coordinate, and distribute your directive properly under Maine's specific rules.
Can I use Nolo WillMaker just for the advance directive and skip the rest?
WillMaker's advance directive module is part of the bundled product. You can use it for the directive alone, but you're paying for the full suite. If the directive is your only need, a dedicated kit is more cost-effective and more thorough on Maine-specific issues.
Do I still need an attorney if I use a state-specific kit?
For most people, no. Maine law explicitly allows individuals to execute advance directives without legal counsel. You need your signature and two qualified witnesses — no attorney, no notary (for standard healthcare directives). An attorney becomes valuable if you're also creating a trust, dealing with complex Medicaid asset restructuring, or facing contested family dynamics.
What about free advance directive forms from Maine hospitals?
Hospital intake forms give you the blank template. They don't explain witness eligibility, POLST coordination, MaineCare recovery rules, or distribution planning. If you understand all of those topics already, the free form is sufficient. If you need the execution guidance — and most families do — a comprehensive kit fills the gap between a blank form and an attorney consultation.
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