After sister’s death, TCU grad focused grief on an easier way to write your will
When Brooke Hipps lost her little sister, Brady Kent, without warning, the heartbreak was compounded by confusion.
Kent, a teacher and longtime supporter of Hipps’ dreams, died without a will — leaving behind not just grief, but a complex maze of decisions for her loved ones.
“It was a stressful place to be in because we wanted to honor her, but we really didn’t know how,” Hipps recalled.
“We had to go through her belongings and questioned, ‘Did she want to be cremated or buried?’ We made a lot of decisions while still wondering what she really wanted.”
That experience became the catalyst for Weekend Will, a Fort Worth-based software platform Hipps created to help others avoid the same burden.
The digital service, which launched this month, allows users to build a legally sound last will and testament online for just $109.
The platform walks people through everything from naming an executor to designating pet guardians, organizing funeral plans, and even uploading photos of valuables.
The goal? To make estate planning as simple and accessible as writing a love letter.
A mission born from loss
Hipps was in the process of applying to the Executive MBA program at TCU when her 36-year-old sister unexpectedly passed away.
Faced with the choice of pausing her life or pushing forward, she chose to continue with the program, bringing her grief with her into the classroom.
During her first semester, a project in her entrepreneurship course struck a nerve.
“It was the first time I really started to think about what it means to prepare for the future,” she said. “That’s when Weekend Will started to take shape.”
TCU’s Neeley School of Business became the launchpad for the idea, with professors and classmates offering feedback that helped her refine the platform from concept to company.
“I used Weekend Will as my case study throughout the entire program to apply everything I was learning in real time to what I was creating,” Hipps said. “Pain for me was like, ‘I can either feel it and let it destroy me, or use it to create something that’ll make an impact.’ I really took advantage of the network and the faculty at TCU and I was building it while I was still in school.”
More than just a will
Statistics show that between 50% and 70% of Americans die without a will, and nearly half of families report experiencing conflict afterward, according to a 2023 Caring.com survey.
Hipps sees her platform as more than just a legal service, she sees it as healing. That’s where Weekend Will’s tagline, “Write a Love Letter to Your Family,” comes from.
“A will isn’t just about paperwork. It’s a way to protect your family from uncertainty and stress,” she said. “It’s the most powerful love letter you can leave behind.”
It’s also what drew interest from early adopters like Red Stag Logistics, a Texas-based trucking company that now offers the platform as an employee benefit.
“Planning for the future can feel overwhelming, but this platform makes it easier for our team to take care of themselves and their families,” Red Stag Logistics CFO Melanie Fluitt said in a news release. “It’s a simple way to show we care about their whole wellbeing—today and for the road ahead.”
Built in Fort Worth, inspired by family
Hipps, who has called Fort Worth home for 15 years, originally hails from DeSoto in southern Dallas. She’s no stranger to entrepreneurship - she previously co-founded a construction company. She says Weekend Will is her most personal endeavor yet.
“I created this in honor of Brady,” she said. “She believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Weekend Will is part of her legacy, and I hope it becomes part of many families’ legacies, too.”
