Estate Planning Documents You Need To Organize and Share
Your estate planning documents will be essential in the settling of your estate, including getting through probate.
For different estate planning documents you'll need to gather different types of information. Below are typical legal and financial accounts, and the types of documentation you should get together to be best organized.
By organizing these important papers, you can help your family more easily get through the probate process and properly distribute your assets. For a checklist of all the documents you might need to collect, use our resource Checklist: Documents to Organize and Share.
Will
- Copy of the Will
- Copies of previous versions of the Will
- Name of attorney, law firm, or online service that helped create the Will, if applicable
Related Read: All You Need To Know About Creating A Will
Trusts
- Declarations of Trust or Trust agreements
- Name of attorney, law firm, or online service that helped create the Trust, if applicable
- Bank accounts associated with the Trust
Related Read: All You Need To Know About Trusts
Power Of Attorney
- Name of the person appointed to Power Of Attorney
- Power Of Attorney documentation
- Name of attorney, law firm, or online service that helped create the POA, if applicable
Related Read: All You Need To Know About Naming A Power Of Attorney
Advance Directive
- An Advance Directive is the combination of a Living Will and naming a Health Care Proxy.
- You can find your state's Advance Directive form here.
- Make sure your Proxy, doctors, and anyone else important in your life know where you keep this document since it can be vital during a medical emergency.
Related Read: All You Need To Know About Advance Directives
Safe deposit box
- Location of safe deposit box
- Safe deposit box keys or location of safe deposit box keys
Any professionals who have helped
- Lawyer
- Financial Advisor/Accountant
- Insurance agent
Info to gather for each person:
- Name
- Contact information
For a printable checklist of all the documents you might need to collect, use our resource Checklist: Documents to Organize and Share.
- All You Need To Know About Advance DirectivesWhen you can’t make health decisions for yourself, this is the north star...Read more
- Trusts Cheat SheetTrust us when we say this is as basic as we can make Trusts.Read more
- How To Create A Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR)A DNR is a medical order that states you don't want cardiopulmonary...Read more
- How Organ Donation WorksIf the person who died was a registered organ donor, measures will be taken...Read more
