Estate Planning Is Not about You | Santa Ana Will and Trust Lawyer

The goal of any Santa Ana will and trust lawyer is to satisfy the client and provide for their needs; but in the long run, a lot of estate planning is focused on those who are left behind.  In creating an estate plan that disperses your assets in the way you want, you are creating a legacy and supporting your family, friends, or favorite causes for their futures.  It is a noble and wonderful thing to do.  It can also be kind of complicated for those who are left.

Most likely when you pass away, your family will be dealing with their grief in addition to the legal aspects of inheritance.  During this difficult time, one of the ways that a Santa Ana will and trust lawyer can help to limit confusion and difficulties is to create an organized plan for getting everyone the information they need.

For most people, important information is kept in a variety of places.  Some might be on your computer, some in the filing cabinet, and still more in a safe deposit box.  Your estate planning lawyer will also have information that beneficiaries need to access.

With all that in mind, would your family know where to find everything?  There’s a pretty good chance they would not.  You can help take away worry and frustration by getting things organized, and your estate planning lawyer can help you figure out how.

A fairly easy approach is to start creating an inventory of your important documents.  Make a list of the things your family, friends, or lawyer would need to know—not just in case of death, but also if you were to become medically incapacitated.  In addition to listing these items, you should also make sure to note where they are located and include any contact information needed to access them.  For example, include information for your estate planning lawyer, doctors, insurance agents, etc.  Some of the things your list should detail might be:

• Will
• Living trust
• Health care documents
• Powers of attorney
• Medications you take
• Accountant
• Insurance agents
• Financial planner
• Insurance policies
• Bank statements
• Stocks, bonds, and other investments
• Deeds and titles to property
• Information on safe deposit boxes (and keys to them)
• Storage facilities
• List of assets
• Debts
• Information on money owed to you
• Benefits
• Tax returns

Additionally, it’s helpful to create a list of all of your online accounts—whether social media or financial—along with your login information and passwords.

None of this information will be useful if no one knows it exists, so be sure that you have told a trusted person how and where to find the inventory.  Your estate planning lawyer will likely advise you to keep originals in a safe deposit box or fireproof safe with copies or even just notes in a binder that can be accessed by the person you’ve designated in case of emergency.

While there is no doubt that creating this inventory is a time-consuming process, keep in mind that if it is hard for you, it will be considerably harder for someone who is not you!  Once it is all together, though, your estate planning lawyer can tell you that it becomes much easier to simply update it when changes are needed.

If you have additional questions or need help creating your estate plan, please contact us at our Santa Ana will and trust law firm or at one of our other locations in the state of California at  (800) 244-8814.

If you have any further questions about asset protection planning and strategies to shield your wealth, or if you’d like to have your current asset protection plan reviewed to make sure it still meets your needs, please contact us at our California asset protection office at 800-244-8814 to set up a consultation.