If you’re gifting things to loved ones and others through your estate plan, it’s smart to work with a qualified attorney to help you navigate that process. A lawyer can help you pick the right tools to accomplish your individual estate goals and can answer many of the questions surrounding the estate process.
The more you can tell your beneficiaries, the less likely the chance that people will be confused or frustrated when the time comes for distribution. You can take some proactive steps now to alleviate this possibility. Here are some of the best things you can do to make sure you’ve set up your estate plan properly:
- Choose the right people to represent your interests, such as your personal representative and any trustees
- Discuss the overall goals of your plan so there are no surprises to loved ones, such as the names of people named as personal representative and trustee, your intended distributions, and the locations of any important documents
- Review your estate plan on a yearly basis at a minimum, especially if you’ve experienced changes in your life like marriage, divorce, or have new children or grandchildren
- If you need to make any changes in your written estate plan, do so under the guidance of a lawyer who is familiar with California estate planning (if you do make any changes, it’s good to discuss this with beneficiaries as well)
- Store your documents in a safe location where at least one other person knows where they are
By working ahead to ensure your estate plan reflects your needs and clearly communicates what you need with your goals, you’ll reduce the possibility of people arguing or delaying the administration of your estate.
