Estate Planning Checklist

An estate planning checklist can help individuals review their documents, organize their assets, and make informed decisions about how their affairs should be handled if they become incapacitated or pass away.

Many people have several planning concerns at once. These may include protecting a surviving spouse, passing property to children, and avoiding unnecessary probate issues.

This estate planning checklist is designed to help individuals understand what to review before meeting with an estate planning attorney.

Life events can affect your estate plan. Even if you created a will years ago, it may no longer reflect your current wishes, family structure, or financial situation.

For example, you may have purchased or sold real estate, opened new retirement accounts, moved to a new state, lost a spouse, remarried, or welcomed grandchildren. Any of these changes can affect your estate plan.

An estate planning attorney can help you review whether your documents are properly prepared under applicable law and whether they still match your goals.

A complete estate planning review should include more than a basic will. Individuals should look at documents, account ownership, health care planning, and family communication.

Your will explains how probate assets should be distributed after your death. It may also name an executor to manage your estate.

Review whether your will still names the right executor, beneficiaries, and backup decision-makers. You should also consider whether the will reflects major family changes, including divorce, remarriage, estrangement, death of a beneficiary, or the birth of grandchildren.

A trust may be useful for individuals who want more control over how assets are managed and distributed. Trusts can also help with privacy, continuity of asset management, and planning for beneficiaries who may not be ready to receive assets outright.

A revocable living trust is often used to manage assets during life and transfer them after death. However, a trust must be properly funded. That means assets need to be titled in the name of the trust when appropriate.

A durable financial power of attorney allows someone you trust to handle financial matters if you cannot act for yourself. This may include paying bills, managing accounts, handling real estate matters, or communicating with financial institutions.

This document can be especially important because incapacity planning is a major part of estate planning. Without proper authority in place, family members may need to seek court involvement before they can help manage your affairs.

The person you name should be trustworthy, organized, and willing to serve.

A medical power of attorney allows you to name someone to make health care decisions if you cannot make them yourself.

You should also consider a directive to physicians, sometimes called a living will. This document helps communicate your wishes about medical treatment if you are unable to speak for yourself.

These documents can reduce confusion for family members during difficult medical situations.

Many assets pass outside of a will. These may include retirement accounts, life insurance policies, annuities, payable-on-death bank accounts, and transfer-on-death investment accounts.

That means your beneficiary forms may control who receives these assets, even if your will says something different.

Review beneficiary designations regularly, especially after marriage, divorce, death of a loved one, or major financial changes. Make sure you have both primary and contingent beneficiaries listed where appropriate.

Many individuals own a home, rental property, vacation property, mineral interests, or family land. These assets should be reviewed carefully.
Questions to consider include:

● Is the property titled correctly?
● Does the property pass through probate?
● Should it be placed in a trust?
● Are there co-owners?
● Are there family members who may disagree about the property later?

Real estate can be one of the most valuable assets in an estate. Planning ahead can help reduce confusion for loved ones.

Probate is the legal process used to administer certain assets after death. Probate may require court filings, legal steps, and proper handling of estate matters.

If someone dies without a will, state intestacy laws determine who inherits probate assets.

A properly drafted estate plan can help families understand what to expect and reduce avoidable uncertainty.

Estate planning also includes planning for what happens if you need help during life.

Think about who would manage finances, make medical decisions, communicate with care providers, and protect assets if illness or cognitive decline occurs.

This can be especially important for individuals who live alone, have adult children in different states, or are concerned about future care needs.

Your estate plan is only helpful if your trusted decision-makers can find it. Prepare a simple list showing where important documents are stored.

This may include:

● Wills and trusts
● Powers of attorney
● Health care directives
● Life insurance policies
● Retirement account information
● Deeds and property records
● Funeral or burial instructions
● Passwords or digital asset instructions

Do not place original estate planning documents somewhere no one can access.

Estate planning is not a one-time task. Review your plan every few years or after major life events.

A review may be needed after:

● Marriage or divorce
● Death of a spouse or beneficiary
● Birth of grandchildren
● Sale or purchase of real estate
● Move to a new state
● Major health diagnosis
● Change in financial accounts
● Family conflict or changed relationships

An estate planning attorney can help determine whether small updates or a full revision may be appropriate.

Before meeting with an estate planning attorney, gather documents that show your current situation. This helps the attorney better understand your needs.

Helpful items include your current will or trust, powers of attorney, insurance information, retirement statements, deed records, business documents, and beneficiary lists.

You should also think about who you trust to serve as executor, trustee, financial agent, and medical decision-maker. Choosing the right people is one of the most important parts of the process.

A thoughtful estate plan can help individuals protect their wishes, support loved ones, and reduce confusion during stressful times. This estate planning checklist provides a practical starting point, but every family situation is different.


If you have questions about your estate plan or want to better understand how estate planning strategies may apply to your situation, speaking with an experienced estate planning attorney can help clarify your options. 


Anderson, Dorn & Rader, Ltd. serves individuals and families throughout Reno and Northern Nevada. or contact the firm online to learn more.Call (775) 823-9455 or contact the firm online to learn more.