Estate Planning

Estate planning is more than just having a will. It puts you in control, even after your death—protecting and caring for your family. Estate planning involves:

• Family planning: planning for ongoing needs while avoiding disputes.
• Fact-finding and discovery: avoiding pitfalls specific to you and your family.
• Transferring assets outside your will (such as jointly owned assets or assets with a named beneficiary).
• Winding up your financial obligations.
• Creating a recordkeeping system; documenting your wishes and estate information.

As you and your family change, so will your estate plan. Once a year, or whenever a life event occurs, review your plan, documents, and personal representatives.

Be Prepared

Record your personal wishes using the Estate Planning worksheet. If you are missing any estate documents, use the worksheets referenced in Your Estate Documents to help prepare your estate file. Let your family and executor know where to find your documents before you die.