Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?

Review the questions below to see if it is time for an estate plan check-up:

1. Has it been more than 3 years since you reviewed your current estate plan?
2. If you have minor children, does your estate plan name Guardians for them?
3. Since creating your estate plan, are your children now adults?
4. If you have a Trust, are there any assets you have not transferred into it?
5. If you become disabled, is your Power of Attorney document for financial decisions more than 5 years old?
6. If you become disabled, is your Power of Attorney document for health care decisions older than 5 years?
7. Are there any gifts you would like to make to charities at your death that have not been clearly set forth in your planning documents?
8. Is there any personal property that you would like distributed that has not been clearly set forth in your planning documents, including the care of any surviving pets?
9. Since you signed your planning documents, have you changed your mind about any aspect of the plan?
10. Has the value of your assets changed since you signed your planning documents?
11. Have you added or changed the kind of assets you own since your planning documents were signed?
12. Have you recently been married, divorced, or widowed since your estate planning documents were signed?
13. Have you had children since your estate planning documents were signed?
14. Have your children had children?
15. Have any of your children been married, divorced, or died since your planning documents were signed?
16. Have you, your spouse, or child become physically or mentally incapacitated since your planning documents were signed?
17. Have you bought or sold a house or other piece of property since your planning documents were signed?
18. Are you contemplating selling stock or other valuable assets with a low cost basis?
19. Have you moved between states since your planning documents were signed?
20. If you have a Living Trust, are Medicaid triggers in place to ensure that at the appropriate time, Medicaid planning can be implemented?

If you have answered ‘YES’ to any of these questions, it is a good idea to schedule a review appointment.