A basic estate-planning site from an insurance and financial planning giant. Prudential's site is easy to use, well written and a good basic introduction to estate planning. Sections include the Estate Taxes, Value of Wills and Protecting Your Business. The Estate Planning Learning Guide is a particularly useful interactive beginning tutorial. In addition, the Prudential Financial Solutions professional advising service has you set goals and a plan of action for achieving them. New features and publications include cheap titles such as "Life's Little Reminders" and the "Retirement Red Zone."

BEST: A simple estate planning worksheet estimates the value of your estate. Also, case studies give hypothetical examples.

WORST: Site can't resist self-promotion: The entry on estate taxes assures that "there are ways to protect yourself" from high taxes, namely through purchasing life insurance.