If something happened to you,
who would raise your child?
If you haven’t nominated a guardian, a judge who has never met your family chooses one. It takes 3 minutes to change that.
No account needed · 3 minutes · Will from $49 if you need it
What’s at stake for your family
Critical Risk
No named guardian
If both parents die without having nominated a guardian, a judge appoints one. They may choose a relative you'd never have picked, and there's nothing on record telling them what you wanted.
Fixed with: A will with guardian clause
High Risk
Your child can't manage an inheritance
Minors generally can't manage inherited property themselves. Without a will directing how it's held, a custodian, trustee, or court-appointed fiduciary may have to manage it for them — often under court supervision, which is slower and costlier.
Fixed with: A will with testamentary trust clause
How First Light works
01
Answer 20 questions
About your family, your child, your assets, and what documents you already have. Takes about 3 minutes.
02
See what your family needs — free
A plain-English breakdown of exactly where your child is at risk. No payment needed to see your results.
03
Name a guardian for $49
Generate a legally valid will with your guardian named. Done in minutes. A fraction of attorney fees.
Common questions
Yes — and especially if you have children. A will isn't about being sick or old. It's about making sure your child is taken care of if the unexpected happens. Without one, a court decides who raises them, with nothing on record from you.
It's where you name the person who raises your children if you can't. Most parents make that nomination in a will; some states also recognize a separate signed declaration. What matters is that it's in a document executed the way your state requires — a court weighs a proper nomination seriously, and is not bound by an informal note or a conversation.
Not reliably. A letter, a text, or a conversation at dinner carries little weight on its own, and no court is bound to follow it. A judge decides who raises your child; a nomination made the way your state requires is the clearest way to tell them what you wanted. Without one, they decide with no direction from you.
Yes, provided it's executed the way your state requires. A will's validity comes from how it's signed and witnessed — and in a small number of states, notarized — not from how much it cost to create. First Light generates state-specific documents with the correct legal language.
You update it. A will is a living document — you should review it any time you have another child, move states, get divorced, or your named guardian's situation changes. First Light makes it easy to update.
Not ready to start today?
Get the checklist first.
A free guardian planning guide for new parents — what to decide, what to skip, and what to do before your child turns one.
Find out what your family needs.
The most important thing a new parent can do. Free to check, $49 to protect.
Not a law firm · Attorney review recommended before signing.