Built from personal loss. Built for everyone.
One Step After started with a simple mission: make it easier to navigate what comes after the loss of a loved one.
The One Step After story
I lost my mom in 2020 and my dad in 2024. After losing my dad, I thought the hardest part would be grieving. Instead, I was named their “estate executor” and was suddenly responsible for all of the tasks I didn’t even know needed to happen after a loss.
I didn’t have a guide, and didn’t know where to start. I was spending hours on the phone with banks to find accounts, sorting through bills, and trying to organize my parents’ legacy after the fact: things that weren’t in their Will.
I knew there had to be a better way to get through the estate settlement process, so I built it. I created One Step After as the tool I desperately needed then: a low-cost, step-by-step guide that explains estate planning and settlement in plain language, so families can get through estate settlement faster and avoid mistakes.
“I knew there had to be a better way. So I built it.”
No one should have to navigate this alone and spend thousands of dollars just to understand what’s expected of them. That’s what One Step After is here to change.
Chris Vanderbilt
Founder, One Step After
Our mission
To make legacy planning and estate settlement accessible and affordable for every family.
Our core values
Because we’ve been where you are now.
We empathize
We understand that behind every estate is a family navigating one of life’s hardest moments. We design for someone who is grieving, overwhelmed, or simply unsure of where to start.
We protect
Estate planning and settlement is deeply personal. We respect the privacy of your information, the integrity of your decisions, and how you choose to work through loss.
We innovate
The estate planning and settlement industry is overcrowded with paperwork, outdated processes, and misinformation. We build affordable tools so every family can access the guidance and information they need.
We simplify
Estate planning and settlement is complex and confusing. We break everything down in simple steps using plain language, so any family can follow along.
Guidance you can trust. Limits we’re upfront about.
We’d rather tell you plainly what we do and don’t do than have you find out later.
What One Step After is
A step-by-step organizational guide
We walk you through what to do, when, and how in plain language, without the jargon.
An organizational hub
Estate and legacy information, documents, assets, contacts, and tasks, held together.
A collaborative platform
Invite family, your attorney, or a financial advisor, and control what each person can see.
One tool that replaces several
Workbook, roadmap, important documents, and resource library under one roof, for one price.
What One Step After isn’t
Not a law firm or financial advisor
We provide information and organization, not legal or financial advice. We always recommend qualified professionals for those questions.
Not a Will or document drafting service
We don’t create legal documents. You can use One Step After with or without a Will.
Not a concierge service
We don’t settle the estate for you. We put you in the driver’s seat with everything you need to handle it with confidence.
Start where I wish I had started.
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