How Can I Clean Up My Estate Plan?

While estate planning can be emotionally taxing, since you must consider a time after your own passing, it is important to be proactive, both for yourself and for loved ones.
How can I clean up my estate plan
Picture of WRITTEN BY: Carol L. Grant

WRITTEN BY: Carol L. Grant

Carol L. Grant is an attorney serving clients in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties since 1997. Carol’s area of proven and time-tested expertise is in Probate, Estate Planning and Guardianship.

Get to Know Carol

Estate planning can be an emotional process, as it causes us to consider what happens after we have passed away. However, putting together an estate plan while you are still physically and mentally able to will ensure your family is taken care of after you have passed. Chicago Business Journal’s recent article entitled “8 steps to tidy up your estate plan now” gives you some items to think about when working through your affairs.

Make certain that your estate plan is accurate and up to date. Your basic documents, which include your will, health care directive and power of attorney, should be in place and up-to-date. Review them to confirm that they’re consistent with your wishes and the current laws.

Review your named beneficiaries and fiduciaries. Your estate plan should confirm that the names of designated beneficiaries and fiduciaries are accurate. Most assets will pass under your will or through trusts, other accounts such as retirement, or life insurance may pass directly to a named (or contingent) beneficiary. If your planning circumstances have changed since creating these designations, update them.

Review your life and property insurance coverage. Be sure that these policies offer adequate coverage and meet their intended purpose. As your wealth increases, the planning purposes behind a term policy for risk mitigation purposes or a whole life policy to ensure ample liquidity upon death may become unnecessary. However, if your assets’ value has grown, you may need to re-examine if the current property coverage is sufficient to minimize your increased potential liability.

Ensure that your beneficiaries have enough liquidity. The estate administration process can be slow and tiresome. It’s possible that a person may not have immediate access to liquidity after a spouse’s death, depending on how assets are titled. A temporary (but major) burden can be avoided, by confirming at least some liquidity will be titled in or directly available to your spouse after you have passed.

Locate and compile important information and account identification. A difficult step in estate administration is locating a decedent’s assets. Make this process easier for loved ones, by creating a list of your accounts, property of significant value, liabilities and contacts at each financial institution. Make the list easily accessible to your family or executor, and update it whenever opening or closing an account.

Review digital assets and online accounts. These assets are frequently overlooked as to access and ownership after death. Instead of divulging passwords or allowing account access, you can add a “digital assets clause” to your planning documents. This lets named parties access specific items within the bounds of accepted legal standards.

Draft a letter of wishes. This document in your estate plan allows you to fully express your intentions and hopes, as well as any explanations or instructions you want to impart to your loved ones.

Plan to review. Repeat the review process regularly and calendar a reminder to give yourself an annual financial and planning checkup.

For more information on the importance of the Estate Plan, read our article LISTEN…ESTATE PLANNING IS REALLY THAT IMPORTANT?

Reference: Chicago Business Journal (Dec. 2, 2021) “8 steps to tidy up your estate plan now”

 

Please Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Email
LinkedIn

Recent Posts

Request-a-Consultation
Speak With An Attorney
Schedule a phone call with Carol L Grant. Click to choose a date and time that work best for you.
estate planning blog
Subscribe To Our eNews Updates
Get Regular News and Monthly Article Updates Directly To Your Inbox