DENVER - s4story -- MORTL, an independent death media and information company, announces its official public launch on July 31, 2026, at mortl.com. The national resource helps people prepare for their own death and gives families a clear order of operations after someone dies.

The premise appears on the homepage: "You're going to die. Let's talk about it."

Founder and CEO Stephanie Werner created MORTL in honor of her father, Joby Horn, who died from brain cancer in 2022. His death became the personal reason behind a company built to make the legal, financial, medical, and logistical realities of death easier to understand.

"My dad, Joby, died of brain cancer in 2022. I built MORTL in his honor so families don't have to navigate the law, paperwork, money, and logistics during the worst week of their lives," Werner said. "There should be one clear place to start, whether you're planning years ahead or someone you love died this morning."

The need is widespread. Caring.com's 2025 Wills and Estate Planning Study found that only 24% of surveyed U.S. adults had a will, meaning 76% did not. The National Funeral Directors Association reports that the national median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial is $8,300. Families often face those costs and decisions while grieving.

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MORTL launches with:

• 51 free state guides covering all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with plain-English information on probate, advance directives, estate taxes, death certificates, cremation and burial law, organ donation and related official forms.
• A free personalized planning dashboard and 31-item end-of-life checklist covering documents, people, accounts, digital assets and final wishes.
• A "Someone Just Died" path that remains free forever, requires no account and carries no advertising, affiliate links or sponsored content.
• The MORTL Edit, Ask MORTL, a death and estate glossary, state comparison tools, a provider directory and The Death Dispatch weekly newsletter.
• Optional premium planning tools, family sharing, an exportable folder for loved ones and an annual estate health check.

MORTL sources its legal and procedural information from state statutes, court rules, federal law and official government forms. The company publishes its sources, review process, corrections policy and commercial disclosures. Editorial decisions remain independent of advertisers, sponsors, affiliates and listed providers.

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MORTL is an educational media and information resource. It does not provide legal, medical, financial, or mental health advice.

"Death is universal, yet families are still handed dozens of tasks with no order of operations," Werner said. "MORTL gives people plain answers before a crisis and practical guidance when the crisis is already here."

ABOUT MORTL

MORTL is a death media and information company built for the living. It covers end-of-life decisions, grief, aging, funeral costs, estate law, and death culture through free state guides, original reporting, practical planning tools, and a provider directory. MORTL tells the truth plainly, cites its sources, and discloses commercial relationships. Learn more at mortl.com.