Just the Tip:
Without a will, state law decides who raises your children and who receives your assets, and the outcome may not match your wishes at all. Online estate planning platforms now produce a legally valid basic will for under $100 in most states. Name your guardians and direct your assets this month. Not deciding is a decision.
It’s a decision most people are quietly making. Only 24% of American adults have a will, per Caring.com’s 2025 estate planning study, down from a third in 2022. Everyone else gets a plan written by their state legislature.
Dying without a will is called dying intestate, and intestacy runs on a rigid formula. State law splits your assets between your spouse and closest blood relatives in fixed shares, regardless of what your family actually needs. An unmarried partner inherits nothing in nearly every state. If your children are minors, a judge picks their guardian from whoever petitions the court, with no record of who you trusted.
A will fixes all of it at once: you nominate the guardian, you direct the assets, and you name the executor who settles everything.
The fix takes about an hour. FreeWill builds a basic will at no cost, and most online will makers paid platforms charge under $100 for state-specific documents. Answer the guided questions, print the document, and sign it in front of two adult witnesses under your state’s rules. Then tell your executor and your chosen guardian where the original lives.
Revisit the will after a marriage, divorce, new child, or move to a new state. And if you have a blended family, a special-needs dependent, or a business, skip the DIY route and pay an estate attorney for a custom plan instead.
Aim low and act now. A simple, legally valid will this month beats the perfect estate plan you keep postponing, and you can upgrade it anytime. Your kids can’t go back and pick their own guardian.
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