A will isn't just about money. It's about who raises your children if you die. Who handles your affairs. What happens to your digital accounts. Who gets your sentimental possessions. And what you want to happen when you inevitably acquire assets in the future. A will costs as little as $9.99/month to create and could be one of the most important documents you ever make.
The most common reason people give for not having a will: "I don't have any assets worth leaving." It sounds reasonable. But it misunderstands what a will is actually for.
A will isn't a document for distributing stock portfolios and beach houses. It's a legal declaration of your wishes — about your children, your affairs, your digital life, your sentimental possessions, and your future. Even if you have nothing in the bank today, you need a will. Here's why.
Let's start with the basics. A will (also called a "last will and testament") is a legal document that expresses your wishes about what should happen after your death. It covers:
Notice that only one of those six functions involves substantial money. The rest are about people, relationships, and wishes — and those matter regardless of your net worth.
If you have minor children, this is the single most compelling reason to have a will — regardless of your assets. Without a will, a court decides who raises your children if both parents die. That might be the right person, or it might not. A will gives you the power to designate the guardian you trust with your most important responsibility. This is not something you can leave to chance or state law.
Someone has to close your accounts, notify institutions, cancel subscriptions, file your final tax return, and manage the administrative mess that follows a death. Without a will designating an executor, this falls to whoever the court appoints — which may not be the person best suited for the role, and certainly adds delay and expense to the process for your family.
You may have no savings, but you have a decade of photos in iCloud. A laptop with years of creative work. An email archive. A Spotify playlist someone loves. Sentimental jewelry worth nothing at auction but everything to a family member. A will lets you designate who gets these things and who manages your digital life — items that can't be valued in dollars but matter enormously to the people you love.
Life changes. You might inherit money from a parent. You might get a settlement. You might start a business. You might buy a house next year. A will you write today covers future assets too — it doesn't just apply to what you have right now. And creating a will is much harder in an emergency or crisis situation. Do it now, update it as your life changes.
If you die without a will, your state's intestacy laws determine what happens to everything you own and who has authority over your affairs. These laws follow a fixed formula — spouse, children, parents, siblings, extended family. They have no knowledge of your actual relationships or wishes. A common partner (not legally married), a close friend, or a nonprofit you cared about gets nothing under intestacy law. Your estranged relative might get everything.
Even with minimal assets, dying without a will creates complications for the people you leave behind:
None of these complications require large assets to occur. They happen based on the absence of legal direction — which is exactly what a will provides.
LawDepot's subscription starts at $9.99/month and includes a legally valid, state-specific last will and testament, healthcare directive, and power of attorney. You can create your complete basic estate plan in one subscription period and cancel afterward. The total cost: $9.99. There is no longer any excuse not to have a will.
The cost objection to having a will simply doesn't hold up in 2026. At $9.99/month with LawDepot, creating a legally valid will costs less than a streaming subscription. At $159 with Trust & Will, it costs less than a month of car insurance for most people. At $99 with Nolo WillMaker, it's a one-time purchase that provides comprehensive estate planning documents forever.
The question isn't whether you can afford a will. It's whether you can afford not to have one.
Even if you have limited assets, every adult should have at minimum:
Most online estate planning services package these three together. Trust & Will's Individual Will Plan ($159) includes all three. LawDepot includes all three in its $9.99/month subscription. This is the bare minimum, and it's more protection than two-thirds of Americans currently have.
LawDepot creates legally valid wills, healthcare directives, and powers of attorney for all 50 states — starting at $9.99/month. 7-day free trial, cancel anytime.
Start at LawDepot — 7-Day Free Trial →Whether you're just starting out or building wealth, Trust & Will creates attorney-drafted estate plans for all 50 states. One-time flat fee, no subscription required.
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