Estate planning checklist: 10 steps to get organized

1. Inventory assets and debts: accounts, property, policies, business interests, digital accounts.
2. Write or update your will, naming an executor and guardians for minor children.
3. Sign a durable financial power of attorney.
4. Sign a healthcare power of attorney and a living will.
5. Check beneficiaries on every retirement account and life insurance policy.
6. Add payable-on-death or transfer-on-death designations where your state allows.
7. Decide whether a revocable living trust makes sense, and fund it if you create one.
8. Record where documents, passwords and key contacts are kept.
9. Tell your executor and agents where to find everything.
10. Set a reminder to review the plan every three to five years.

• An ex-spouse still named as beneficiary on an old 401(k).
• A trust that was signed but never funded.
• No plan for digital accounts and passwords.
• No healthcare directive, leaving family to guess.

The Estate Organizer walks you through this list, flags gaps, and prepares the questions to bring to your estate attorney. Atrium organizes. It does not draft legal documents.

What documents do I need for a basic estate plan?

Most people need a will, a durable financial power of attorney, a healthcare power of attorney, a living will or advance directive, and up-to-date beneficiary designations. Many also add a revocable living trust.

Do beneficiary designations override my will?

Generally yes. Retirement accounts, life insurance and payable-on-death accounts pass to the named beneficiary regardless of what the will says, so review them after every major life event.

Do I need a trust?

A revocable trust can help avoid probate, keep matters private and manage assets if you become incapacitated. It matters more if you own property in several states, have minor children, or want control over how heirs receive money. An estate attorney can confirm what fits.

How often should I update my estate plan?

Review it every three to five years and after marriage, divorce, a birth, a death, a move to another state, or a large change in assets.