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Tell us what’s happening.
We’ll show you what’s first.
MORTL is built for people who are overwhelmed, grieving, confused, or starting from zero. Pick what’s happening now. The matching path puts the work in order and tells you when state law or a licensed professional matters.
Last reviewed August 1, 2026. Public paths don’t require an account.
Find Your Way In
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Where are you right now?
Choose the answer that’s closest. You can come back and choose a different path at any time.
Go straight to the task
- I need a will.
- I need to document my medical wishes.
- I need to get my finances in order.
- I want to plan my funeral.
- I’m helping someone else make a plan.
- I want to understand how death works legally.
- I want to understand how death works practically.
- I want to understand how death works financially.
- I want human perspectives on death, grief, and care.
- I’m grieving or supporting someone who’s grieving.
Straight answers
- How much is a death certificate? $5 to $35 for the first copy, set by each state. How to get one, who can order, and every state's fee.
- How much does cremation cost? Direct cremation averages $2,202 in 2026. A funeral with viewing and cremation runs a $6,280 median.
- What does a probate attorney cost? Hourly, flat fee, or a percentage of the estate, and the cases where you can skip the lawyer.
- Do you own a burial plot? In most states you buy the right to be buried there, not the land. What that changes.
- Which death-planning platform does what? The categories, what each one solves, and what happened to Cake and Lantern.
- What should be on an end-of-life checklist? All 33 items across legal, financial, medical, digital, and family, with the seven documents named.
MORTL’s reference pages
- 51 jurisdiction guides Death certificates, probate, advance directives, disposition, taxes, and more.
- The planning checklist Documents, decisions, accounts, people, funeral wishes, and digital life.
- The executor checklist For the executor or the person helping them: the estate work after a death, phase by phase.
- Find professional help Directory information for funeral, hospice, grief, financial, and other support.
- Compare planning platforms Understand which type of service solves which job before paying for anything.
- Security and data handling What MORTL saves, what it doesn’t ask for, and how sharing works.
- Sources and methodology Primary sources, review cadence, editorial rules, and correction process.
Direct answers
Questions people ask when they’re starting from zero.
Where do I start if death planning feels overwhelming?
Name what’s happening today. If someone died, use the immediate-death path. If you’re planning ahead, begin with the free planner. If you’re dying, use the terminal-diagnosis path. Each route puts the next actions in order and links to the relevant state law guide.
Can I use MORTL without buying a legal package or talking to a salesperson?
Yes. MORTL public guidance, all 51 jurisdiction guides, the someone-just-died path, the terminal-diagnosis path, the checklist, and multiple planning tools can be used without a sales call. Public pages don’t require an account. MORTL Premium is optional.
What should a younger adult do first?
Name an emergency contact and healthcare decision-maker, review beneficiaries on financial accounts, document where important records are kept, and write down funeral and digital-account wishes. The legal forms and signing rules depend on the state.
Does MORTL assume one religious or cultural approach to death?
No. MORTL explains legal and practical choices without treating one religious, cultural, family, or secular approach as the default. Personal rituals, body disposition, medical boundaries, and funeral wishes should be documented in the person’s own terms.
Is MORTL legal, medical, financial, or funeral-directing advice?
No. MORTL provides general education and organization tools. A person should verify requirements and decisions with the appropriate licensed professional or government office for their jurisdiction and circumstances.