How to Create Your Will with Paige

Creating a will can feel like a big undertaking — but it doesn't have to be. Paige's will builder is designed to walk you through the process one step at a time, in plain language, at your own pace. Most people complete their will in about 10–15 minutes.

Think of a will as a way to make things a little easier for the people you love. It's your opportunity to make your wishes known like who gets what, who you trust to carry them out, and who will care for the people (and pets) who depend on you.

This article walks you through each step of the process so you know exactly what to expect before you begin.

Table of Contents

Getting Started
Step 1: About You
Step 2: About Your Loved Ones 
Step 3: Executors 
Step 4: Assets 
Step 5: Gifts 
Step 6: Disinheritance 
Finalizing Your Will 
You're Done — What Comes Next? 
Common Questions

Getting Started 

To begin, navigate to the Will section from your dashboard and select Create Your Will. You'll be taken to an intro screen that gives you a quick overview of the four phases ahead:

1. About You — ~2 minutes
2. About Your Loved Ones — ~4–5 minutes
3. Your Assets — ~4–5 minutes
4. Finalize and Share — ~2 minutes

When you're ready, select Get Started. 

Step 1: About You 

This first section gathers the basic legal information needed to generate your will. You'll be asked to provide:

• Your full legal name (as it should appear on the document)
• Your state and county of residence
• Your date of birth
• Your marital status

Once you've filled in your details, select Continue to move to the next step. 

Step 2: About Your Loved Ones 

If You're Married 

Because you indicated you're married, you'll see an additional step here to add your spouse's information:

• Spouse's full legal name
• Spouse's email address
• Spouse's date of birth

You'll also see a checkbox option: "I'd like to create a will for my spouse." Selecting this upgrades your purchase to the two wills option, which covers both you and your spouse for a single combined price at a discounted rate compared to buying one at a time. A best practice, if you and your spouse are planning together, is to take advantage of this option, it can save time and ensure both wills are created at the same time. 

If You're Single 

 You'll move directly to the Dependents step below. The spouse step won't appear in your flow. 

Dependents 

You'll be asked whether you have any children (or are expecting). Select Yes or No.

If you select Yes, you'll be prompted to add each child's information, including their name and relationship to you. This is also where you can designate a guardian, the person you'd want to care for your minor children if you're no longer able to. 

Step 3: Executors 

An executor is the person you trust to carry out the instructions in your will. You'll assign:

• A Primary Executor — chosen from your Contacts
• A Backup Executor — optional, but a best practice in case your primary executor is unavailable

You'll also see a checkbox: "I'd also like to make my executors digital executors." This is the most common choice. A digital executor is responsible for managing your online accounts, digital assets, and anything else that lives in the digital world after you're gone. 

Step 4: Assets 

This step is where you decide who receives your assets. Depending on your situation, you may see:

If You're Married

A checkbox will appear: "I'd like to distribute all of my assets to my spouse." If that reflects your wishes, simply check this box. You'll also have the option to designate backup beneficiaries in case your spouse is no longer living at the time of your passing.

If You're Single

You'll designate your beneficiaries directly, choosing who receives your assets and in what proportion.

Step 5: Gifts 

This is an optional step that gives you the chance to leave specific items to specific people or organizations. Think of it as the more personal, intentional part of your will like a handmade quilt to a grandchild, a car to a sibling, or a donation to a cause you care about.

• Select Yes to add one or more gifts
• Use the + Add a gift button for each item
• Select No (or skip) if this doesn't apply to you

Step 6: Disinheritance 

This step asks whether you'd like to explicitly exclude anyone from inheriting your assets. For most people, the answer is No and that's pre-selected for you.

If your situation calls for it, selecting Yes allows you to name individuals you wish to formally disinherit. This can be an important legal step in certain family circumstances. If you're unsure whether this applies to you, consulting with an attorney is always a good idea. 

Preview Your Will 

 Before finalizing, Paige generates a real-time preview of your will based on everything you've entered. Take a moment to read through it. If anything looks off, select Back to Editing to make changes. When you're satisfied, select Continue. 

Finalizing Your Will 

You're almost done. The finalization process has three steps, shown with a progress tracker at the top of the screen.

 Step 1: Download Your Will 

 Paige generates a complete PDF of your will, which will typically be around 5 pages. Select Download to save a copy to your device. Your will is also automatically stored in your Paige Documents library under Finance & Tax > Last Will and Testament, so it's always accessible. 

Step 2: Share With Your Contacts 

 You have the option to share your will directly with trusted contacts through Paige. This can be a meaningful step by letting the people who need to know, know. You can select from your existing contact list, or add a new contact directly from the Choose Contacts dropdown in the sharing menu. You can also skip this step and come back to it later. 

Step 3: Print, Sign, and Notarize 

This is the most important step for making your will legally valid. Before you go, Paige will walk you through what you'll need to do after you leave the app.

In most states, making your will legally valid involves:

• Printing your will
• Signing it in front of two witnesses
• Having it notarized

Notary services can often be found at banks, public libraries, local courthouses, and through online notarization services.

Select I Understand to complete your will builder experience and then head out and take care of those final steps to make it official.

You're Done — What Comes Next? 

Once you've completed all three finalization steps, you'll see a confirmation screen: "You've completed all steps for this will!"

From here, your dashboard will update to reflect your completed will. You can return at any time to Update Your Will or Download Your Will from the Will tile on your dashboard.

Common Questions

"Can I edit my will after I've completed it?"

Yes. You can return to your will at any time by selecting Update Your Will from the dashboard or your Documents library. Keep in mind that if you make changes, you'll need to re-download, re-print, re-sign, and re-notarize for the updated version to be legally valid.

"What if I don't have all my contacts added yet?"

No problem. You can still move through the will builder and revisit executor or beneficiary assignments once your contacts are set up. A best practice is to build out your contacts list before starting, but it's not required to complete the process.

"Does my will cover assets in other states?"

Generally yes, a will created in one state can cover assets in other states, though there may be nuances depending on your situation. If you have questions about specific assets, consulting with an estate attorney is always a good idea.

"Is Paige's will legally valid?"

Paige's will is attorney-approved and legally valid in 49 states plus Washington, D.C. (Louisiana support is coming soon). Legal validity depends on you completing the print, sign, and notarize steps described above.