All guides
Every HarborPlain guide in one place — plainly-explained articles on insurance, money, legal, and health decisions for new and expecting parents.
What Happens to Baby If Both Parents Die Without a Will?
If both parents die without a will, a judge, not your family, picks your baby's guardian. Here's exactly how that process works in every state.
Read guide →LegalHow to Update Beneficiaries After Having a Baby
Learn exactly how to update beneficiaries on life insurance, retirement accounts, and more after having a baby, before a common mistake costs your family.
Read guide →LegalNo Assets, New Baby: Do You Actually Need a Will?
No savings, no house, but a new baby: do you still need a will? Yes, and here's the one reason that matters most when you have nothing to leave behind.
Read guide →LegalMinor Child as Life Insurance Beneficiary: A Costly Mistake
Naming a minor child as life insurance beneficiary can freeze the payout for years in probate court. Learn why it happens and the two fixes that actually work.
Read guide →LegalLegal Checklist Before Baby Arrives: 7 Steps to Take First
A practical legal checklist for expecting parents (guardianship, wills, beneficiaries, FMLA, and more) explained in plain English before baby arrives.
Read guide →LegalHow to Choose a Guardian for Your Child: A Parent's Guide
Learn how to choose a guardian for your child: which qualities matter most, how to compare candidates, and how to make the choice legally binding in your will.
Read guide →LegalThe Complete Will and Guardianship Checklist for New Parents
A step-by-step will and guardianship checklist for new parents: what documents you need, how to name a guardian, and what most families overlook.
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