The modern way to prepare for tomorrow

Everyone can benefit from creating a will, regardless of your financial situation. Creating a will ensures that loved ones know what to do with your estate (money and property), and it lets you decide where your property goes (instead of leaving it to the government to decide). A will can also save loved ones from dealing with the stressful, expensive process of intestate probate proceedings (aka the legal mess that occurs when there is no will).

An online will-maker is a quick and affordable way to create a legal will, but we’ll be the first to acknowledge it’s not for everyone.

An online will is great if your situation is rather simple and straightforward.

It’s also a smart way to get something official in place as a stopgap before working with an attorney.

You may want to seek the advice of an attorney if you have a large estate, a complicated family situation, dependents with special needs, you or your spouse is not a US citizen, or you want to set up a trust. An attorney is best suited to help you navigate complex tax laws and add extra protections if you are worried someone might contest your will.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to hire an attorney to create a legally valid will. While attorneys can be helpful in crafting a will, especially if your situation is complex, they are not your only option. Online wills and even hand-written wills can stand up in court as long as they're properly crafted and signed in accordance with the requirements in your state.

For most states, what makes a will legally valid is expressing your intent in writing and signing and dating the document: usually signing in front of two or three witnesses who are not your family members or beneficiaries. These witnesses go on record stating that you have the required mental state to sign the will and that no one was forcing you to do it.

Cake's Will Maker tool will help you create a will that reflects your wishes, but you will have to print it and have it signed in accordance with your state's laws. We provide a guide on how to do this in your downloaded file.

You must have a U.S. residential address to create a will on Cake. If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (a "green card holder"), the amount that you can pass to others at death without incurring estate taxes is substantially reduced. You may want to consult an attorney for additional support.

Yes — as with any will, it is legally valid as soon as you sign it in front of witnesses in accordance with the laws in your state of residence. Usually this means having two witnesses who are not beneficiaries of your estate.

Cake's Will Maker tool will help you create a will that reflects your wishes, but you will have to print it and have it signed in accordance with your state's laws. We provide a guide on how to do this in your downloaded file.

At Cake, we take security and privacy very seriously. We are HIPAA compliant, employ bank-level security, and all your data is protected in transit and at rest with 256-bit AES encryption and 2048-bit certificates.

Your will is only visible to you and anyone with whom you actively choose to share it.

Cake does not sell or share personally identifiable information (PII) with any 3rd party. We are committed to protecting your privacy and security, as outlined in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Cake makes it easy to update your will whenever you choose.

It’s always a good idea to review and update your will if any of the following changes occur:

• Your financial circumstances change (positively or negatively)
• You have a new child
• You get married or divorced
• Tax laws change
• Your executor or a beneficiary dies
• You lost your will
• You want to add or change a beneficiary

Absolutely! Create a new will with Cake and then destroy your earlier version so there is no confusion as to which is your most up-to-date will.

Every state has its own “rules of intestacy” — a set of defaults for what happens to someone’s property when they die without a will (i.e., “intestate”).  There are also rules for who serves as personal representative when there is no will.  

In general, the property will pass to your closest living relatives (defined differently in each state) and your closest living relative will have priority for appointment as your personal representative.

Many people do not want their property to pass to the state’s version of your closest relative.  In addition, the probate process is usually more time-consuming when someone dies without a will and sometimes involves: the requirement that the personal representative buy private insurance to cover himself or herself from liability; a second separate probate process to sell real estate; and more stringent accounting requirements. That’s why it’s best to create a will and spare loved ones added burden.

You can request a refund within 30 days of purchasing the Will Maker.

To request a refund, contact us (https://joincake.com/support) and include the following:

• Full name
• Email address associated with your account
• Date of purchase
• Detailed explanation for why you are requesting a refund

Please note that after processing your refund, it takes 5-10 days for your refund to be transferred back to you.