Making the important decision to create an estate plan is a key step towards ensuring that your affairs will be carried out as you wish. Your next action should involve contacting an experienced attorney, who can help you design the plan that is right for your family. Your attorney will likely want to meet with you to get to know you better and learn more about your goals. As part of this process, you will be asked to share various pieces of information about your estate.
Information Needed to Start the Estate Planning Process
What information can you expect your attorney to ask you for when you begin the process of creating an estate plan? Following is a brief overview:
- The names, addresses, and phone numbers of your immediate family members
- The names and birthdates of your children
- Any aliases that you or your spouse have gone by in the past
- A summary of your real estate holdings in Orange County and elsewhere
- An overview of your bank accounts
- An overview of your retirement assets
- The names and addresses of the people that you will be naming as your fiduciaries—your trustees, personal representatives, and attorney in fact
- A brief overview of your goals and wishes for your estate plan
- The names and contact information of your advisors, including accountants, financial planners, and life insurance agents
- An overview of your income, debts, and expenses
- Whether you have ever executed estate planning documents in the past
Making the important decision to create an estate plan is a key step towards ensuring that your affairs will be carried out as you wish. While this may seem like a great deal of information to have to gather, it is all important when it comes to creating the best possible estate plan for your family. Fortunately, your attorney will walk you through the process of gathering and analyzing this information so that it does not feel overwhelming. We have worked with countless clients to create the estate plans that are right for their needs, and we would be pleased to work with your family as well. View our client testimonials page or contact us today to learn more