Estate Planning Checklist:

A Comprehensive Guide

Estate Planning Checklist:

A Comprehensive Guide

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Estate planning seems like a daunting task. It is human to want to procrastinate, especially when it involves thinking about a time when you will no longer be alive.

Everyone needs an estate plan, whether young or old, wealthy or poor, have children, or plan to be single for life. We have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic the need to prepare for the inevitabilities of life. Since nothing in life is guaranteed, you need to know how to protect your family and assets.

Having a list of essential documents for estate planning would make the job much easier.

Even better would be to have a list and then an estate planning attorney’s help. We have you covered in both cases.

Eight Important Estate Planning Documents

We took the arduous task of estate planning and broke it down into eight subsections – each of which are captured and discussed in the checklist. Each subsection of the checklist has an easy-to-read overview and a series of questions outlining the documents needed to complete the estate planning process.

  • textTrusts

    There are two types of trusts, revocable and irrevocable, each with its own advantages. Whether you want to avoid probate, have full control over managing and distributing your assets, maintain your privacy, or need liability protection, trusts may be the perfect answer.

  • textAsset Alignment

    High-value assets such as your home and business need protection. How you title your assets has both tax and estate planning implications.

  • textBeneficiary Designations

    Do you know what happens to your assets that do not have a designated beneficiary and are not titled in the name of a trust? They become part of your probate estate. You may have heard that probate is a public process that is time-consuming and expensive. Unfortunately, what you have heard is true.

  • textLast Will and Testament

    Many people think a Will is all they need for estate planning. A Last Will and Testament is important, and everyone should have one (surprisingly, even those who have a trust for a particular reason), but did you know that Wills can be contested and don’t keep your estate from going through the probate process? A Last Will and Testament guarantees probate! Not knowing your full range of options to protect your assets and ensure they are distributed the way you intended may cost you and your heirs a fortune.

  • textPower of Attorney for Financial Matters

    Did you know you could appoint someone to act on your behalf in financial matters for a day, under certain conditions, or permanently? The way your power of attorney is written determines how much power, when and under what circumstances, and over what aspects of your financial life you authorize someone to act on your behalf.

  • textPower of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions

    A healthcare power of attorney enables you to designate a person you trust to make healthcare decisions if you are mentally or physically unable to make decisions yourself.

  • textAdvance Medical Directive/Living Will

    The pandemic put a spotlight on healthcare decision making. An Advance Medical Directive/Living Will allows you to make clear your preferences on life-prolonging medical treatments.

  • textDigital Assets

    You undoubtedly have banking and retirement accounts, online bill paying, and social media accounts. Does your estate plan include these accounts?

How to get Your free Estate Planning Checklist

Click the Download now button below, enter your name and email address, and we will deliver, to your inbox, a full list of estate planning documents with a checklist you can update with changes. Your checklist will include a series of next steps. Complete the process and feel the reassurance of knowing you now have a good idea of your range of estate planning options and where you currently are on the road to completing them.

Once you get your documents in order, the next step is to prioritize your estate planning goals. Learn about estate taxes and how to avoid probate. Make a plan for financially taking care of vulnerable family members. Make known your wishes if you should become incapacitated.

If you need help with these next steps, we encourage you to review your estate planning documents with an attorney at Katzner Law Group.

Estate Planning Checklist:

A Comprehensive Guide

Please fill out the form below and we will send out an email with the download link.

Download now

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